WBB | Fourth-Quarter Struggles Plague Owls in Loss at Stetson

11/19/2024 | Women’s Basketball | Box Score

DELAND, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls couldn’t overcome fourth-quarter struggles on Tuesday, falling 75-63 on the road against the Stetson Hatters in DeLand.

Florida Atlantic falls to 3-2 on the season, while Stetson moves to 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Stetson struck first and opened the contest on a 4-2 run to take the early lead, however, the Owls answered back, scoring seven unanswered to take the lead 9-4 at the opening media timeout. The Owls maintained a five-point advantage through a 14-9 lead, but an and-1 for the Hatters closed out the quarter to make it a two-point game after one, 14-12.

The Owls opened up the second with a fastbreak layup from Jada Moore that was sparked off a steal from Stefanie Ingram to push the lead back to four, 16-12. Florida Atlantic maintained a four-point advantage through the 6:47-minute mark after a pair of free throws from Moore, but a pair of threes from the Hatters eventually brought the contest even at 23. The Hatters and Owls traded threes through a 26-26 tie, but the Hatters scored in transition to take a two-point lead, 28-26, at the second-quarter media timeout. Maria Myklebust pulled down an offensive board and scored the putback to bring things even once more at 30, but a Hatter triple closed out the half as Stetson took a three-point lead into the break, 33-30.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle. The Owls battled through seven lead changes in the third, holding a 44-43 advantage with 2:06 to play. Both squads tacked on one more to make it 45-44 Owls entering the final period of play.

Florida Atlantic just couldn’t find an answer to the Hatters in the fourth. Stetson outscored Florida Atlantic 31-18 over the final 10 minutes of play to eventually close out the 75-63 contest.

HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS

“Definitely not the finish that we wanted, but I thought we had opportunities. We got 26 free throws, we need capitalize at the free throw line, something we are still trying to navigate through, and I thought there were some paint points we left out there. It’s a tough place to play, going on the road against a postseason team, but just need to be running on all cylinders. We will regroup and figure it out for the next game.”

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

  • Jada Moore and Erin Rodgers led the Owls in the contest, scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively.
  • Ta’Ziah Jenks pulled down a team-high eight boards, while Moore and Stefanie Ingram finished with six apiece.
  • Ingram dished out a team-high five assists, and Jenks turned in a team-high two steals.
  • The Owls outscored the Hatters in the first quarter, 14-12, and third quarter, 15-11.
  • Florida Atlantic also held the advantage in points off the bench, 23-8, second chance opportunities, 14-10, and in points off turnovers, 13-12.

UP NEXT

The Owls close out their road trip this weekend, heading south on Saturday, Nov. 23 to take on rival FIU. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. inside Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

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