| BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball took care of business in its final tune-up of the 2022-23 preseason, breaking the century mark to defeat St. Thomas University 100-56 in a Tuesday night exhibition outing. Four Owls scored double-figures in the win, with senior Alexa Zaph leading the way with 23 points on 8-of-12, going 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the line. Fellow senior Janeta Rozentale and freshman Ajalon Gillard scored 16 points each, with Rozentale going 5-for-8, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the line, while Gillard went 6-of-9 from the floor, including an impressive 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Rozentale picked up a double-double adding a team-best 10 rebounds, while also leading the team in blocks with four. Junior Devyn Scott dished out a team-leading nine assists in the win.The Owls struck first off a layup from Zaph, but a Bobcats 3-pointer gave St. Thomas their first lead of the contest. The two teams traded shots through eight lead changes in the opening quarter. St. Thomas held a 21-20 advantage with just over two minutes to play in the opening frame, but a 5-0 FAU run from a pair of Rozentale free throws and a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Gillard gave the Owls a four-point advantage after one, 25-21, and the Owls never looked back. Zaph nailed a fastbreak jumper in the paint less than a minute into the second period to put the Owls up by six, 26-21. The Owls outscored the Bobcats 14-3 over the next five minutes of clock, which was capped by a Gillard 3-pointer to extend the Owls lead to 20, 44-24, a lead that the Owls would maintain through the remainder of the quarter as FAU eventually took a 22-point lead into the break, 53-31. FAU continued to maintain its 20-point advantage through most of the third quarter. St. Thomas cut the Owls lead down to 18, 67-49, with just over two minutes remaining in the third, but the Owls responded with a 7-0 run over the final two minutes of the third to take a 25-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of play, 74-49. The Owls flexed their muscles in the final period of play, dominating the Bobcats defensively, holding St. Thomas to just seven points in the period and scoring 26 to close out the impressive 100-56 exhibition win. Notes and Team Stats 10 Owls saw playing time in Tuesday’s exhibition win over St. Thomas, including five newcomers and five returners.The Owls scored 20+ points in every quarter of play, including a game-high 28 in the second.The Owls held the Bobcats to a game-low seven points in the fourth and just 10 points in the second.FAU scored 44 points in the paint had 36 points come from off the benchThe Owls scored 23 points off turnoversFAU never shot less than 40% from the field, 3-point line, or the free throw line in any quarter Up Next The Owls will take the next week off as they prepare to open the season on the road, visiting the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats for their season-opener on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. inside Moore Gymnasium. Follow the Owls For updates, follow @FAUWBB on Twitter and Instagram, or like FAU Women’s Basketball on Facebook. |
