BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (1-1) dropped its road contest at Miami (3-0) in a battle, 73-61. Iggy Allen, who sported the orange and green a year ago delivered in her homecoming, tallying a career-high 23 points and five 3-pointers.
How It Was Decided
1Q
Allen got the ball rolling for the Owls with a 3-pointer to even the score early, 3-3. After nearly five minutes without an FAU field goal, Allen sunk her second 3-pointer of the game and nailed a jumper in the paint shortly after to put the Owls within two points in a 13-11 game. With 1:11 left in the fame and the Owls trailing 13-20, FAU went on a 7-0 scoring run, which was sparked by a second-chance layup by Amber Gaston. Allen then came up with two steals in 24 seconds with her second one leading to a pass to Lotta Vehka-Aho, who delivered the game-tying 3-pointer. The Owls and Hurricanes were tied at 20 apiece after one quarter of play.
2Q
The Owls were outscored 19-9 in the second quarter due in part to multiple FAU starters being daunted with foul trouble early. FAU had no field goals for over five minutes until Alexa Zaph ended the scoring drought with a layup to make it a one possession 32-29 game with 1:16 left in the half. The Canes finished the half on a 7-0 scoring drive, as FAU trailed going into the locker room, 39-29.
3Q
Janeta Rozentale opened up the quarter with two blocks in less than a minute in the third quarter. Zaph scored eight of her 13 points in the frame, which was sparked by a layup coming off a steal by Sofia Galeron, as the Owls trailed 41-33. The Owls continued to climb back into the game, as Allen sunk a second-chance 3-pointer off a turnover to cut the Canes’ lead, 44-40 with five minutes left in the frame. Sofia Galeron helped the Owls inch within two points with a 3-pointer and her first Owl points, 49-47. After an offensive foul by Miami, Allen took advantage and tallied her fourth 3-pointer of the game, as the Owls took the lead for the first time of the game. The lead did not last for long, as the Canes responded with a 3-pointer of their own and ended the frame on a 10-2 run. FAU lagged behind Miami, 59-52.
4Q
The Owls took some time to get going in the fourth quarter, which hurt FAU’s chances in taking over the lead. FAU took over three minutes to score in the quarter, as Tanyia Gordon broke the drought with a jumper. Big defensive stops by the Owls led to Janeta Rozentale delivering a put-back basket with three minutes left in a 70-58 game. Allen scored the final points of the game with her fifth 3-pointer of the night, a career high, but FAU was ultimately unable to pull off the upset, falling to the Canes, 73-61.
Game Notes
- Allen delivered a well-rounded stat line, tallying a career-high 23 points with five 3-pointers, as well as eight rebounds and three steals
- Zaph provided on both ends of the floor tonight, recording 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals
- Rozentale logged nine points and five boards, while earning her second consecutive two-block game
- Gordon and Galeron had two steals and three rebounds apiece
- FAU took advantage of Miami’s mistakes, recording 24 points off turnovers
With Coach Jabir
“I’m really proud of our team,” said head coach Jim Jabir. “I think our program took a step forward. We played a good ACC team today and they are just bigger and stronger, and we learned a lot of lessons about how we need to be more physical. We didn’t make shots, but I like how we handled their pressure. We were aggressive and we attacked them. I’m really proud of our guys and we took a step forward tonight.”
Up Next
The Owls will travel to Gainesville, Florida to face off against the Florida Gators for the first time since 1999. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. with the matchup being broadcast on SEC Network.
Owls on Social Media
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