1/22/2025 | Women’s Basketball | Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – A third-quarter rally wasn’t enough as the Florida Atlantic Owls fell 75-68 against the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
The Owls drop to 9-11 on the season and 1-6 in AAC play, while Charlotte moves to 6-12 overall and 1-6 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After battling through a 6-6 tie to open up the contest, Charlotte went on a 7-0 run to take a 13-6 lead at the opening media timeout. The Owls answered back following the timeout, rallying off a 9-2 run to tie things up at 15 following a 3-pointer from Zahira Arizmendi. Stefanie Ingram gave the Owls a 17-15 lead, but Charlotte tied things up at 17-17 to close out the first.
The Owls opened the second on a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 lead following a pair of free throws from Kristina Godfrey. However, the 49ers responded on a 7-0 run to retake the lead, 24-21, with 7:06 to play in half. Mya Perry kept the Owls within three, 31-28, following her third 3-pointer of the day, but Charlotte went on another 7-0 run to close out the half to hold a 38-28 lead at the break.
Charlotte scored a pair of free throws to open the second half to extend its lead to 12, 40-28, but the Owls locked in over the following four minutes of clock, mounting an 18-0 run to rally back and take a six-point lead, 46-40, with four minutes remaining in the third. Florida Atlantic maintained a 52-45 lead through the 2:26-minute mark of the third, but the 49ers went on a 6-0 run to close out the third as the Owls held a 52-51 advantage entering the final 10 minutes of play.
After battling through three ties, the Owls and 49ers were locked even at 60-60 with 5:38 to play. Ingram connected on her second 3-pointer of the contest to give the Owls the 63-60 lead, but the 49ers retook the lead after a 6-0 run, 66-63, with 3:34 to go. Alana Rouser brought the Owls back within one, 66-65, at the 3:20-minute mark, but the Owls offense started to go cold as the 49ers outscored the Owls 9-3 over the final three minutes of play as Charlotte eventually took the 75-68 win.
HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS
“Disappointing, I would say loss, but just the way we played, whether it was a win or a loss. I didn’t think we seemed ready to play, and I take responsibility for that. For whatever reason, we didn’t bring the energy we needed to. That was a must-win for us. Obviously, they felt the same way. We just told our team, ‘hey, we gotta be able to blow this up and do something different, we can’t just keep going the same direction’ because I know this team is better than we are showing right now.”
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Four Owls registered double figures in the contest, led by Mya Perry and Stefanie Ingram.
- Perry finished with a game-high 16 points, shooting 33 percent (5-of-15) from the field, 33 percent (3-of-9) from beyond the arc, and 3-of-6 at the line, in addition to adding a team-high four steals, four rebounds, and three assists.
- Ingram finished with her first career double-double, scoring a team second-best 15 points and 10 assists. Ingram shot 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field, 33 percent (2-of-6) from 3-point range, and went 100 percent (1-of-1) at the line, while also adding a pair of steals.
- Alana Rouser and Jada Moore rounded out the Owls’ double-figure scorers, recording 10 points apiece. Rouser also finished with a team-leading eight rebounds on the night.
- The Owls were strong in the third quarter, outscoring the 49ers 24-13 in the frame.
UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic will close out its two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 25, as the Owls host the North Texas Mean Green for a 2 p.m. tip at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
For updates, follow @FAUWBB_Hoops on X and @FAUWBB on Instagram, or like Florida Atlantic Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
