11/23/2024 | Women’s Basketball | Box Score
MIAMI – The Florida Atlantic Owls bounced back in a big way on Saturday, earning a dominant 62-52 win on the road over the FIU Panthers inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
Florida Atlantic improves to 4-2 on the season, while FIU drops to 1-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls opened the contest on an 8-0 run after back-to-back 3-pointers from Maria Myklebust and Mya Perry, and a layup from Perry. The Owls pushed their lead to nine, 16-7, following a pair of free throws from Erin Rodgers, but FIU scored four unanswered to cut the Owls’ lead to five after the first period of play, 16-11.
FIU scored first in the second, cutting the Florida Atlantic lead to three, 16-13, however, the Owls answered back on a 15-4 run to push their lead out to 14 with just under three minutes remaining in the opening half. The Panthers got four back to close out the half, but the Owls took a 31-21 lead into the halftime break.
The Panthers struck first once again out of the halftime break, cutting the Florida Atlantic lead to seven, 31-24, but the Owls went on another dominant run, outscoring FIU 17-4, through the remainder of the third period to take a 20-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of play, 48-28.
A pair of free throws and a layup from Alana Rouser pushed the Owls’ lead to the highest of the match at 22, 52-30, with 7:49 to play. The Owls maintained a 20-point advantage, 56-36, following Mya Perry’s sixth triple of the contest. However, the Panthers rallied, scoring 11 unanswered to cut the lead to nine, 56-47, with 2:10 to play. The Owls eventually put the game away, going on a 6-0 run to extend their lead back to 15, 62-47, with 44 seconds to play. FIU closed the contest on a 5-0 run, but it was too little too late, as the Owls eventually claimed the 62-52 win.
HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS
“Really exciting any time you get a win on the road, especially against FIU, because they are a really good team, and we’re kind of crosstown rivals. Really just proud of our kids for gutting it out. They did a really good job of competing, battling, and figuring it out. We’d like to keep the turnovers down, but we will continue to work on that and go on to the next one.”
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Mya Perry led the Owls with a season-high 22 points, shooting 62 percent (8-of-13) from the field and 67 percent (6-of-9) from 3-point range. She also added four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
- Maria Myklebust also registered double figures for the Owls, turning in a season-high 11 points, shooting 67 percent (4-of-6) from the field and 60 percent (3-of-5) from 3-point range to go along with five boards.
- Stefanie Ingram dished out a team-leading eight assists to go along with five points, a rebound, and a steal.
- Alana Rouser finished with a team-leading six rebounds while also posting eight points, two blocks, two steals, and an assist in the win.
UP NEXT
Following the Thanksgiving break, the Owls will return to Paradise as they host their Thanksgiving Classic, welcoming Austin Peay and Manhattan on Friday, Nov. 29 – Sunday, Dec. 1.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
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