BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Owls (12-10, 5-8 C-USA) struggled to overcome a slow start on Saturday as they fell 73-59 against the Charlotte 49ers (10-11, 6-6 C-USA) on Saturday in Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls got on the board first off a pair of free throws from Janeta Rozentale and one from Dyllan Hanna. Aniya Hubbard’s first three of the day kept the Owls up by three, 7-4, with 4:01 to play in the opening period. However, the 49ers closed out the first on a 13-2 run to take an eight-point lead after one, 17-9.
The Owls battled to open the second looking to try and even things up. The Owls went on a 12-7 run to cut the Charlotte lead to just three after a 3-pointer from Joiya Maddox to make it 24-21. The Owls remained within six with 3:25 to play after a layup from Rozentale made it 34-28, however Charlotte scored six unanswered to close out the half as the Owls trailed by 12, 40-28, entering the locker room.
Charlotte continued to make it hard for the Owls to gain ground in the second half. Charlotte maintained an 11-point advantage over the first eight minutes of the second half, 56-45, but the Owls outscored the 49ers 7-4 over the final two minutes of the third to cut the lead down to just eight entering the final 10 minutes of play, 60-52. But that’s as close as the Owls would get. Charlotte outscored FAU 13-7 over the final 10 minutes of play to eventually close out the 73-59 contest.
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Aniya Hubbard led the Owls, scoring a team-high 19 points, shooting 50 percent (6-of-12) from the floor, including 67 percent (2-of-3) from 3-point range, and 71 percent (5-of-7) from the line.
- Hubbard also tallied a team-best five steals and pulled down five rebounds.
- Joiya Maddox and Alexa Zaph also registered double-digit performances, scoring 12 points each.
- Janeta Rozentale led the Owls in rebounds, collecting 11 boards in the contest, marking her fifth 10+ rebound performance this season.
- FAU outscored Charlotte 14-6 in second chance opportunities, 7-4 in fast break points, and 21-15 in bench points.
- The Owls had their best quarter in the third, outscoring the 49ers 24-20 following the halftime break.
UP NEXT
The Owls go back on the road next week as they head to Houston, Texas to take on the Rice Owls for the first time this season on Thursday, Feb. 9. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET inside Tudor Fieldhouse.
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