12/1/2024 | Women’s Basketball | Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls battled but just couldn’t get the final shot to fall on Sunday, dropping their Thanksgiving Classic finale against the Austin Peay Governors, 59-58, inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
Florida Atlantic falls to 5-3, and Austin Peay moves to 3-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The contest was a defensive battle over the first 10 minutes of play. After trading baskets to open the contest, 2-2, the Owls went on a 7-2 run to hold a 9-4 lead after the opening quarter.
The Governors went on a 6-2 run to open the second, closing the gap to just one, 11-10, at the 7:28-minute mark of the second. The Owls started to extend the lead back out following an 11-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 22-12, after back-to-back buckets from Mya Perry with 3:19 to play in the half. Austin Peay scored nine unanswered to rally back over the following minute of clock to cut the Owls lead back to one, 22-21. The Governors tied things up at 26-26 with 27 seconds to go, but Stefanie Ingram drew a foul with six seconds to play, knocking down a free throw to put the Owls up 27-26 entering the halftime break.
Austin Peay scored 11 unanswered over the first five minutes of play in the second half to take a 37-27 lead at the third-quarter media timeout. Erin Rodgers drove in the lane and got the and-1 to fall as she sparked a 13-4 Florida Atlantic run to quickly bring the Owls within a point at the 1:59 mark of the third, 41-40. The Governors closed the quarter on a 5-2 run to push their advantage back out to four entering the final 10 minutes of play, 46-42.
The Governors maintained their four-point lead through the 8:39-minute mark, 50-46, but a 6-2 run for the Owls eventually brought things even at 52-52 after an and-1 from Ta’Ziah Jenks with 5:37 to play. Austin Peay score four to retake the lead 56-52, but a triple from Perry and a layup from Rodgers put the Owls back in front 57-56 with 48 seconds to go. Jada Moore knocked down a free throw to push the Owls’ lead to two, 58-56, with 19 seconds to go, but the Governors knocked down a last-second 3-pointer to close out the contest, 59-58.
HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS
“Brutal loss, really more the way the game finished. I thought going into the half, we had an opportunity to pull away, with our biggest lead of 10, and then going into the fourth, we had a big stop, and they got a crazy shot off, and it went in, and we couldn’t do the same thing on the buzzer-beater. Disappointing loss, but I told the team it hurts, but you learn from it, and you look back on it as an experience that helps us get better.”
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Mya Perry led the Owls in the contest, tying for a game-high 14 points, shooting 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field, 50 percent (2-of-4) from beyond the arc, and 100 percent (2-of-2) from the line. She also added a pair of assists and a steal.
- Jada Moore and Erin Rodgers also registered double figures in the contest, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.
- The Owls outscored the Governors in the first, 9-4, and the fourth, 16-13.
- Florida Atlantic held advantages in turnovers, 20-23, paint points, 30-26, points off turnovers, 20-16, second chance points, 14-10, fast break points, 10-6, and points off the bench, 20-13.
UP NEXT
The Owls head to the Lone Star State this week for a midweek matchup against the No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Schollmaier Arena.
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