In hopes of playing Senior Day spoiler, Florida Atlantic traveled to the Queen City as the Owls took on the Charlotte 49ers (9-17, 4-11 AAC). Earlier this season, the ‘Niners earned the victory over FAU. In hopes of better AAC Tournament seeding, the Owls fought hard, but Charlotte earned the victory, sweeping the season series.
First Half
An Alana Rouser jumper opened the scoring giving the Owls a 2-0 lead in the opening minute. After FAU led 4-3, Charlotte went on an 8-0 run securing an 11-4 lead at the media timeout. The run ended with the 49ers leading 15-4, a 12-0 run. At the end of the first, Florida Atlantic scraped back, trailing 17-11.
After being behind by 11, the Owls cut the deficit to four, 19-15. At the media timeout in the second, the 49ers led 21-15. FAU managed to bring the game within one possession, but the ‘Niners held strong taking their 25-19 lead into halftime.
FAU went 8 of 21 from the field while Charlotte was 9 of 34. Like many times this season, Florida Atlantic’s three-point shooting is what had them trailing. The 49ers were 4 of 10 from deep while Florida Atlantic had made just one shot from deep.
Second Half
Charlotte jumped all over the Owls in the opening minutes of the third thanks to an 8-2 run out of the half. With 7 minutes left in the third, Coach Jennifer Sullivan called a timeout as her squad trailed 33-21. Not much happened over the next three minutes; the ‘Niners led 37-24 at the media break. Afterwards, FAU pulled within 11. At the end of three, 43-32, Charlotte.
Florida Atlantic responded nicely in the fourth using a 5-0 run to bring the deficit down to 43-37. The momentum continued as FAU only trailed by four, 45-41 with six minutes left. The next 2:30 saw no scoring, but a made free throw by Charlotte and a jumper by Stefani Ingram (Top picture, FAU Athletics) had Florida Atlantic within three, 46-43. In the final two minutes, FAU slowly chipped away. The Charlotte advantage was only one-point, 48-47 with 1:11 remaining. The 49ers drove away with a four point lead, but traded buckets and a clutch three from Mya Perry saw FAU only trailing by one, 53-52 Charlotte. Over the final 25 seconds FAU fouled, hoping to extend the game, but Charlotte capitalized at the line to seal the 58-53 victory.
Charlotte swept the season against FAU with both wins being by single-digits. In this contest, the Owls outshot the ‘Niners, but 22 free throw attempts with 15 of those made was all the 49ers needed to secure the victory.
The fourth quarter saw FAU drop 21 points, with a 60% clip from the field. That was a great number for the Owls, but another major deficit from earlier in the game made the ballgame feel like it was “catch up”
Owls Stat Leaders
Freshman Forward, Rouser led the Owls in scoring with her 14 points while Perry had 12. As a team, Florida Atlantic shot 44% on the floor. Jada Moore earned six boards as Rouser gained five. FAU earned 27 total. Finally, Stefani Ingram led the way in assists. She had six while the Owls earned 12.
Look Ahead & AAC Tournament Seeding
Florida Atlantic (10-18, 2-13 AAC) will return home for a midweek matchup against East Carolina (14-13, 6-9 AAC). Earlier this season, the Owls took the victory from the Pirates in Greenville in a 64-48 dominant win. The game will not hold much weight for the Owls as they are almost locked into the 13th seed. That means if they were to run the table, they would play the most games in the conference tournament. Tipoff between the Owls and the Pirates is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 PM.
