ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls (5-5) picked up their biggest win of the season so far, defeating previously unbeaten UCF (8-1) on the road Monday, 59-58, inside Addition Financial Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls took the early lead off a layup from Evie Van Der Woude and a 3-pointer from Janeta Rozentale to capture a 5-2 advantage. UCF evened things at 8-8, however the Owls closed the opening period on a 6-2 run to hold the four-point lead after the first.
Mya Perry knocked down her second triple of the day to open the second, extending the Owls lead to seven, 17-10. Florida Atlantic maintained a seven-point advantage through the 4:13-minute mark after a 3-pointer from Rose Caverly, 25-18, however the Knights closed the gap to just two after riding an 8-3 run into the halftime break, 28-26.
The Owls and Knights traded leads through a 31-31 tie, before UCF went on a 7-2 run to lead by five at the 5:36-minute mark. The Owls cut the lead to just two, 38-36, after a Rozentale free throw and a layup from Perry, however, UCF responded with a 6-2 run to close out the third as the Knights held a six-point advantage entering the final 10 minutes of play, 44-38.
Florida Atlantic was on a mission in the fourth quarter. The Owls opened the fourth on a 10-4 run to even up the contest at 48 with 6:30 to play, following a Rozentale triple. The Owls and Knights traded baskets back-and-forth through four ties to a 56-56 stalemate with just over a minute to play. The Knights drew a foul to go up 58-56 with 53 seconds on the clock, but Rozentale answered back for the Owls, knocking down the clutch layup with just eight seconds to go to tie it at 58. The Knights turned it over with seven seconds to go, opening up an opportunity for the Owls to win it. Caverly attempted the 3-pointer in transition but just missed, however, Jada Moore grabbed the offensive board and drew a foul with just four tenths of a second to go. Moore knocked down the second free throw to clinch the 59-58 upset win for the Owls.
HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS
“Just an amazing win on the road after a really tough home loss. Just cannot praise this group enough for their toughness and game execution. I think they really bought into the game plan with a quick turnaround and executed it well against a team that scores 70 points per game and held them under 60. Just really proud of them. They deserve that and so proud of just big play after big play and seeing some growth from our group!”
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Three Owls registered double-digit performances in the win.
- Perry led the way for the Owls with a game-high 18 points, shooting 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field, 67 percent (4-of-6) from 3-point range, and going 2-of-3 from the line. She also tied for a team-leading four assists, pulled in three boards, and grabbed a team-leading two steals.
- Rozentale tied a season-high with 16 points, shooting 71 percent (5-of-7) from the field, a perfect 100 percent (3-of-3) from 3-point range, and 75 percent (3-of-4) from the line. She also pulled down seven rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked a shot.
- Caverly posted a season-high 11 points, shooting 43 percent (3-of-7) from the field, 50 percent (3-of-6) from deep, and a perfect 100 percent (2-of-2) from the line. She also tied for a team-leading four assists and grabbed three rebounds.
- Jada Moore led the Owls on the glass, grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds in the win.
- The Owls dominated the first and fourth quarters, outscoring the Knights 14-10 in the first and 21-14 in the fourth.
- Florida Atlantic outshot UCF 44.4 percent (20-of-45) to 33.8 percent (23-of-68) from the field and an impressive 50 percent (10-of-20) to 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from beyond the arc.
- The Owls reserves also outscored the Knights bench, 10-6.
UP NEXT
The Owls will close out non-conference play on Thursday, Dec. 21 as they head to West Palm Beach to take on the San Diego State Aztecs in the West Palm Beach Classic. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. at Rubin Arena.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
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