BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic women’s basketball team’s (12-13, 5-11 C-USA) fourth-quarter rally fell short on Thursday, as the Owls dropped an 85-77 battle against the C-USA leading Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders (21-4, 14-2 C-USA) at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls struck first, taking a 2-0 lead after a pair of free throws from Joiya Maddox. The Lady Raiders answered scoring seven-straight to take a 7-2 advantage. Alexa Zaph knocked down her first 3-pointer of the contest to bring FAU back within two at 7-5 with 7:03 left in the first. The Owls battled over the remaining seven minutes of the first period to keep the score close, matching the Lady Raiders basket for basket, as Middle Tennessee held just a four-point advantage with 14 seconds remaining after an Ajalon Gillard 3-pointer, but a final MT jumper at the buzzer gave the Lady Raiders a six-point lead after one, 24-18.
FAU got back within four after a layup from Amber Gaston to open the second and a pair of Joiya Maddox free throws to make it 26-22 at the 8:58-minute mark. However, back-to-back 3-pointers from the Lady Raiders kicked Middle Tennessee’s lead out to 10, 32-22. The Owls managed to get one point back, outscoring the Lady Raiders 10-9 over the final seven minutes of the opening half to cut the deficit to nine at halftime, 41-32.
The Owls kept the contest within nine after an and-1 from Gaston at the 8:38-minute mark of the third period, 44-35, however Middle Tennessee broke things open in the third. The Lady Raiders went on a 27-12 run over the final eight minutes of the third period to take a 71-47 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
In the fourth period, the Owls rallied to produce a run of their own. FAU outscored Middle Tennessee 24-8 over the opening eight minutes of the fourth quarter to bring the deficit all the way down to just eight at 79-71 after a jumper from Jada Moore. However, the Owls couldn’t get any close as the Lady Raiders matched the Owls basket for basket over the final two minutes of play to eventually close out the 85-77 contest.
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Three Owls registered a double-digit performance with Alexa Zaph lead the way for the Owls with 18 points.
- Zaph shot 55 percent (6-of-11) from the field, including going 80 percent (4-of-5) from 3-point range, and finishing a perfect 100 percent (2-of-2) at the line. She also added two rebounds and a pair of assists in the contest.
- Joiya Maddox finished with a team second-best 17 points, shooting a perfect 100 percent (3-of-3) from 3-point range, and 86 percent (6-of-7) from the free throw line, and pulled down three rebounds.
- Amber Gaston rounds out the Owls double-digit scorers with 11 points, shooting 83 percent (5-of-6) from the field and pulling down four boards.
- Aniya Hubbard scored nine points and collected a team-best six rebounds and six assists on the night.
- The Owls outscored the Lady Raiders 30-14 in the fourth quarter.
- FAU also outshot MT 69.2% to 50% from 3-point range, which the Lady Raiders lead the league in 3-point percentage, while also collecting a 13-5 advantage in second chance opportunities.
UP NEXT
Thursday’s contest is the only game for the Owls this weekend as they will now prepare for their final C-USA road trip of the year, heading to the Lone Star State as the Owls will visit the UTSA Roadrunners in San Antonio Texas on Thursday, Feb. 23. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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