BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (5-14, 1-7 in Conference USA) fell to UTSA (5-15, 2-7 in C-USA) on Saturday afternoon, 49-44. FAU had immense trouble shooting the ball all afternoon, logging a 24% clip from the field. Rita Plesekvich led the way with a game-high 14 points.
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
1Q
The Owls began the game shooting 0-for-7 from the field, allowing UTSA to start things on an 8-0 run. Alexa Zaph helped the Owls get out of the drought with a reverse layup, and FAU trailed 8-2 halfway through the first quarter. After a Pleskevich jumper, UTSA went on a 10-4 run, as the Owls trailed 18-6 with under a minute left in the frame. Sofia Galeron knocked down a 3-pointer just before the end of the frame, as the Owls trailed 18-9 after one quarter of play.
2Q
Kynadi Kuykendoll inched the Owls within six following a triple, but the Owls then were held quiet from the field for over three minutes until Galeron tallied her second 3-pointer of the game. FAU trailed 23-15 with three minutes left in the first half. FAU held UTSA to zero points for over five minutes, but the Owls were also held in a drought for over three minutes until Alexa Zaph knocked down a triple. UTSA ended the final 73 seconds of the quarter outscoring the Owls 5-2 and FAU lagged behind the Roadrunners, 28-20.
3Q
The Owls could not make a field goal for the first five minutes of the quarter, as the Owls trailed 34-23 with 4:53 left in the quarter. Out of the media timeout, UTSA made both of their free throws to take their largest lead of the game with 13. Amber Gaston started to heat up, making back-to-back baskets to inch the Owls within nine points with four minutes to go in the quarter. FAU closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run, which was capped off by a second-chance layup from Rozentale. The Owls trailed 40-35 going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
4Q
The Owls’ run continued, as Rozentale opened up the quarter with a layup and followed by making one of two free throws. FAU cut the Roadrunners’ lead to one with 6:14 left in the game following Zaph knocking down one of two free throws. UTSA responded with a 3-pointer and the Owls trailed 43-39 with 5:50 left in the game. Following a second-chance jumper by UTSA, Pleskevich launched a triple to come back within two points to make it a 45-43 game. Off a 3-pointer miss by FAU, Rozentale had a putback layup to tie it, but the basket was waived and reversed to a shot clock violation. UTSA was able to respond on the other end with a big time jumper, which sealed the deal for the road team. FAU fell 49-44.
GAME NOTES
- Pleskevich was just shy of a double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds along with three assists
- Rozentale followed with seven points and 15 rebounds with three assists
- Gaston came off the bench with seven points, five boards and three blocks. Her three blocks marks her ninth career game with 3+ swats
- Galeron tallied six points and six boards, while extending her streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 10
UP NEXT
FAU is set for another three-game roadtrip next week, starting with a road matchup at Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The Owls will be back at home to face WKU on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased here or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
OWLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For complete coverage of FAU women’s basketball, follow us on Twitter (@FAUWBB), Instagram (@FAUWBB) and Facebook (FAU Women’s Basketball).
