CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Florida Atlantic women’s basketball (8-2, 1-0 C-USA) battled tough against Big Ten foe Illinois (11-2, 1-1 Big Ten), but ultimately fell 81-46 to close out the Owls’ non-conference slate on Wednesday at the State Farm Center.
“Certainly not the outcome we wanted, but I am very proud of our team’s effort against a tough Illinois team,” expressed head coach Jennifer Sullivan. “Games like today will help our team get better as we prepare for conference play.”
Aniya Hubbard led the Owls in the contest with a career-high 20 points, shooting 67 percent from the field (8-of-12) and 33 percent (1-of-3) from 3-point range. She also added four rebounds and secured a pair of steals. Janeta Rozentale led the Owls on the glass, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds, in addition to recording the Owls’ block in the contest.
Joiya Maddox put the Owls on the board first with a layup, 2-0. Illinois then scored seven unanswered to take the lead 7-2, but the Owls scored on jumpers from Janeta Rozentale and Joiya Maddox to bring the game back within a possession at 9-6. However, the Fighting Illini closed the first on a 16-4 run to extend the lead to 25-10 after one.
The Fighting Illini opened the second on a run leading by 38-10 halfway through the period. Sofia Galeron connected on a 3-point jumper and Dyllan Hanna knocked down a layup to keep the Owls within 26 with three minutes to play in the half, but another Illinois run closed out the half to send the teams into the locker room at 49-19.
Aniya Hubbard scored six points for the Owls in the third period holding FAU at 53-23 off a layup and two free throws at the 7:54-minute mark, but Illinois kept finding shots as the third ended with a 71-29 Illinois advantage.
Hubbard continued to battle in the fourth helping lead the Owls to a 9-2 run, scoring seven herself, to cut the Illinois lead down to 73-38. The Fighting Illini held an 81-41 lead with four minutes to play, but the Owls closed the contest scoring five unanswered to bring the game to its 81-46 final.
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Aniya Hubbard posted the Owls second 20+ point performance of the season and the first of her career.
- Hubbard led the Owls with a career-high 20 points, shooting 67 percent (8-of-12) from the field and 33 percent (1-of-3) from 3-point range. She also added four rebounds and a pair of steals.
- The Owls outscored the Fighting Illini in the fourth quarter, 17-10, as well as outshot the Fighting Illini 35 percent to 29 percent in the frame.
- FAU outpaced Illinois 11-2 in steals.
- The Owls also outscored the Fighting Illini in the paint, 30-24.
UP NEXT
The Owls will take a break for the holidays before returning to Conference USA action on Thursday, Dec. 29 as the Owls host the North Texas Mean Green for a 7 p.m. tip inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
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