BOCA RATON, Fla. – Turnovers proved costly on Saturday as the Florida Atlantic women’s basketball team (5-11, 0-5 AAC) fell short in the fourth quarter, dropping an 81-72 decision against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (13-5, 3-2 AAC) inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tulsa struck first but the Owls kept the opening period within a score, 7-4, through the 6:19-minute mark following a pair of free throws from Janeta Rozentale. The Golden Hurricane then went on a 10-2 run to take an 11-point advantage, 17-6, with just under three minutes to play in the first. However, the Owls outscored the Golden Hurricane 6-0 to close out the third, cutting the deficit to just five after one, 17-12.
The Golden Hurricane opened the second to a 12-6, retaking a double-digit lead at the final media timeout of the opening half, 29-18. Tulsa maintained an 11-point advantage through the 1:46-mark of the second, however the Owls locked in over the final two minutes of the half, producing an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to just one possession entering the break, 35-32.
The Owls opened the third on a 5-0 run to take their first lead of the day off jumpers from Jada Moore and Rozentale and a Moore free throw. Maria Myklebust connected on her first basket of the day from beyond the arc to give Florida Atlantic its largest lead of the day at the 6:01-minute mark, 43-38. The Owls and Golden Hurricane battled back and forth through a four-point Owls’ lead with 1:48 to play in the third, but Tulsa scored six unanswered to close out the third to retake the lead 57-55 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
Tulsa maintained its momentum into the fourth, outscoring the Owls 16-3 to take a 15-point advantage with 5:34 to play, 73-58. The Owls tried to battle back, but just couldn’t mount a comeback over the final five minutes of play as they eventually fell 81-72.
HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS
“Tough game. I told the girls I definitely thought in the third we had it. I thought not only would we take the lead but pull away. I thought our paint production was the best it has been in a long time. Our overall numbers in terms of our goals for the game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw shooting, was phenomenal. Transition defense and points off turnovers hurt us. Really proud of their fight. We had to make a lot of adjustments throughout the game. Teams like that that run that way and shoot the three like they do, it’s hard to replicate that all the time in practice, and I think our kids settled into it the best they could. I was very proud of their effort. Would love to get a chance to play them again in the regular season, but like I said, happy with our effort and wish we could have pulled out the win.”
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Three Owls registered double-figure performances led by Jada Moore and Janeta Rozentale.
- Moore registered her first career double-double, tying for a team-high 18 points, shooting 55 percent (6-of-11) from the field and 75 percent (6-of-8) from the line, and adding a team-leading 10 rebounds to go along with a pair of assists, a block, and a steal.
- Rozentale also tied for a team-leading 18 points, shooting 67 percent (8-of-12) from the field and going a perfect 100 percent (2-of-2) at the charity stripe. She also added a team second-best six rebounds, in addition to an assist and a steal.
- Aniya Hubbard rounded out the Owls double-figures scorers with 11 points, alongside three steals, two assists, and a board.
- Florida Atlantic held the advantage in the second and third quarters, outscoring Tulsa 20-18 in the second and 23-22 in the third.
- The Owls outshot the Golden Hurricane 49 percent to 46 percent from the field and 81.8 percent to 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
- Florida Atlantic also held advantages on points in the paint, 34-30, and points off the bench, 23-9.
UP NEXT
The Owls will head back on the road next Saturday, Jan. 20 as they travel to the Volunteer State to take on the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. inside Elma Roane Fieldhouse
FOLLOW THE OWLS
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