It was Education Day at the Elly with local schools filling the stands to cheer on Florida Atlantic as they faced off against North Florida (1-3). An 11 a.m. in-state showdown had all the excitement, including a second half comeback for the Owls, as FAU earned victory over UNF.
First Half
Maria Myklebust broke open the scoring early with a triple for the Owls in the first 11 seconds. The scoring was slow, but FAU led 9-7 with 3:51 at the media break. Up to that point the Ospreys had dominated the boards as they earned eight rebounds compared to the Owls two. A Ta’Ziah Jenks (pictured above, Dylan Vo) three was the final scoring in the first with Florida Atlantic leading 14-9.
North Florida came back in the second evening the score at 14 before an Erin Rodgers (pictured below, Dylan Vo) free throw gave the Owls a one-point lead at the media break; 15-14 FAU. Erin Rodgers scored the Owls first FG of the half hitting a three to give the Owls a two-point lead with 2:40 left in the half. At halftime FAU led 22-19.
Neither team looked great offensively in the first. UNF shot 6-28 while the Owls were 8-28. Florida Atlantic brought the rebound deficit to only trail 24-20 when it came to boards. Looming large were free throws made, with UNF being perfect 4-4 while FAU was only 3-10.
Second Half
Within the first five minutes of the third, the Ospreys took a 31-25 lead thanks to a 12-3 run. Florida Atlantic did not score a FG until the 6:30 mark. A Kristina Godfrey three cut the deficit to three with the Owls trailing 31-28 going into the fourth.
Quickly in the fourth, FAU’s Mya Perry evened the game at 31 with her own three-point jumper. UNF regained the lead at 36-33, but the Owls went on an 11-0 run to take an eight point advantage at 44-36. The squads shared free throws and made FG’s with FAU earning a 50-41 victory thanks to the dominant fourth.
Florida Atlantic can thank a 22-10 scoring difference in the fourth for their victory. The Owls shot 42.9% from beyond the arc compared to their game total of 27%.
Jenks gave UNF a lesson today as she earned the first double-double for Florida Atlantic this season with her 11 points and 10 rebounds. The leading scorer was the past week’s AAC Freshman of the Week Erin Rodgers with her total of 13 points. Jada Moore dished out five assists, while Jenks and Moore both earned 10 rebounds on the day. Defensively, the Owls held UNF to a 25.8 FG% while also restricting the Osprey’s three point shots to 4-36.
FAU (2-1) closes their stay in Boca Raton against Bethune-Cookman (1-2). The Wildcats are coming off a 54-50 loss against Georgia Southern. It was a close contest throughout, but Bethune-Cookman could not keep up down the stretch and shot 4-14 in the final quarter. The matchup between the Owls and the Wildcats is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m.