Two teams on winless streaks met in Paradise as FAU and Charlotte (6-12, 1-6 AAC) faced off. A “must win game” for both squads went back-and-forth throughout. A major comeback by FAU in the third was not enough to overcome the 49ers as the Owls fell 75-68 to their AAC foe.
First Half
Florida Atlantic’s first lead of the day came thanks to a Mya Perry triple. After the squads worked their way to a 6-6 tie, Charlotte took a 13-6 lead thanks to a 7-0 run over with 4:53 left in the first. After finding themselves down 15-7, the Owls responded with a 10-0 run capped off by a Stefani Ingram layup. At the end of the first the Owls and 49ers were even at 17.
FAU gained a 21-17 lead early in the second, but a 7-0 run from Charlotte gave the 49ers the lead, 24-21 with 7:06 remaining. The Niners extended their lead to five as they led at the media break 28-23. Over the final 3:51 the Owls had a lid on the basket as FAU could not get a shot to fall. Charlotte led 38-28 at the half.
The 49ers had 16 shots made compared to Florida Atlantic’s eight. Charlotte also had 16 points compared to the Owls’ three from turnovers.
Second Half
After trailing by as much as 12, FAU used a 7-0 cutting into the deficit as the Owls trailed 40-35 with 7:09 left in the third. Florida Atlantic added 11 more to their run as two Jada Moore free throws gave the Owls a 46-40 advantage with 4 minutes remaining in the third. After the Owls 18-0 run, the squads traded scores. Charlotte closed the third on a 6-0 run, but Florida Atlantic led 52-51 with one quarter to go.
Neither squad could pull away from each other as the teams were tied 60-60 with 5:43 left in the game. A Charlotte bucket gave the 49ers a 64-63 lead with 4:30 left in the contest. With 1:21 remaining in the contest, the Niners extended their lead to six as FAU called a timeout. The Owls pulled the game within three, but two Charlotte free throws gave the 49ers a five-point advantage with 41.9 seconds left in the ball game. Sadly for the Owls, the game became a free throw contest for Charlotte as FAU fell 75-68.
In the fourth, Charlotte outscored the Owls 24-16. After the 60-60 tie Charlotte outscored FAU 15-8. Florida Atlantic closed the game 1 of 7 from the field.
Final Stats
Perry led the way for FAU as she dropped 16 points. Ingram and Moore both scored in the double-digits with 15 and 10 respectively, while Ingram had 10 assists, leading the Owls once again in the category, while Alana Rouser had eight boards. FAU finished with 32 rebounds. The Owls came back in the points off turnovers category only trailing by one: 20-19. The problem was shots did not fall, and eight missed free throws.
Coach Sullivan Post-Game remarks
Head coach Jennifer Sullivan opened up about the game, “Disappointing, I would say loss, but just the way we played. I didn’t think we seemed ready to play, I take responsibility for that. For whatever reason, we didn’t bring the energy we needed to in the must win for us and them. We got to be able to blow this up and do something different. Can’t keep going the same direction. I know this team is better.”
Coach Sullivan also spoke about the 18-0 run the Owls had in the third, “One of our defense changes we went to they started to pick up on. We kinda threw some junk at them coming out of the half. That did help the run, which created some stops and some steals. And we were able to convert on those stops and steals. Going into the fourth quarter, that’s just gut check time and that’s when we needed stops.”
Look Ahead
FAU (9-11, 1-6 AAC) continues their stint at home as they welcome North Texas (14-5, 6-1 AAC) to the Burrow. The Mean Green have been on a roll as of late thanks to a three game win streak. UNT also holds on to second in the AAC. The only conference loss the team from Denton has is against Tulane. Florida Atlantic enters the contest on a five game losing-streak. It will be a hard hill to climb for the Owls as they try to gain the victory on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 pm.
