Florida Atlantic women’s basketball returned home to Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena but fell to the University of Florida 51-59, extending their losing streak to three games.
Monday night’s game marked the 10th time FAU and UF have faced each other, with UF holding an 8-1 record. The last time FAU defeated UF was in 1993 when they played at home, taking the lead with a score of 84-63. FAU lost 54-82 in the Gators’ home opener of the 2023-24 season.
“We’ve got to be tough, we’ve got to be physical, and we’ve been working on it,” said head coach LeAnn Freeland.
The Gators played without their star sophomore point guard, Liv McGill, due to an undisclosed injury. Even without McGill, who was selected to Team USA’s U18 and U19 FIBA World Cup roster, UF is still a tough team to beat and a challenge for the Owls.
As a team, FAU shot 63% from the field, 18% from three and 20% from the free-throw line.
The first points of the game were scored by the Gators’ forward, Caterina Piatti, with a back-to-back shot. The game got off to a slow start, with the Owls experiencing a three-minute scoring drought throughout the first quarter. The Owls’ first points of the night came from graduate guard Destyne Jackson.
The Owls displayed a strong defense as the Gators struggled on offense, missing multiple shots. “Unfortunately, tonight, the threes didn’t fall, and that’s a huge piece of what’s going to help us be successful,” said Freeland.
Kicking off the second quarter, the Owls held the Gators to a scoring drought of just over four minutes. FAU closed the gap, and with a 3-pointer from senior guard Michiyah Simmons, they took the lead.
Me’Arah O’Neal would go on to score for the Gators, taking the lead back, which was reclaimed by the Owls seconds later by Jess Moors. With just 56 seconds left in the first half, the Gators tied the game with a free throw from center Gift Ezekiel.
The Owls made two shots while the Gators made three, heading to halftime with a one-point lead, 24-25.
The Owls came back to take the lead with a point from Destyne Jackson. In the first part of the third quarter, no team held a lead of more than two points; instead, there was a constant exchange between the two schools.
In the final minutes of the third quarter and heading into the fourth, the Gators pulled away from the Owls and created an 11-point gap, 39-50. After a challenging game with an intense fight for the win, the Owls managed to close the gap to just six points before losing to the Gators, 51-59.
“We’re about growth right now, so every game and every practice is instrumental for us,” said Freeland. “I saw a lot of really confident players in the locker room after this loss, so I think it’s just going to help us build more confidence in what we do.”
FAU will host its annual Thanksgiving Classic, taking place from Thursday, Nov. 27 to Saturday, Nov. 29, featuring games against Air Force and Wright State. Thursday tipoff is set for 12 p.m. against Air Force at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
Aldana Jure is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, please email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @jezabeljure.
