Zaph's Career Night Powers Owls Past Green Wave

Wednesday, February 28

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

10-17,5-11AAC

Tulane

10-17,3-13AAC

Tulane

Fla. Atlantic

Photo by: Keira Arimenta

2/29/2024 12:29:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Alexa Zaph's career-defining performance helped lead the Florida Atlantic Owls (10-17, 5-11 AAC) to a huge 13-point victory over the Tulane Green Wave (10-17, 3-13 AAC) on Wednesday night at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

Zaph became the first Owl in program history to go perfect from 3-point range shooting seven or more 3-pointers, tying a career-best 22 points in the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Owls got off to a slow start, falling behind 16-11 to open the contest, but a triple from Maria Myklebust closed out the opening period to cut the Owls' deficit down to just two after one, 16-14.

Alexa Zaph's second 3-pointer of the day sparked a 12-0 Florida Atlantic run to open the second, giving the Owls' their first lead of the day, 26-16. Tulane then went on an 11-4 run to cut the Owls' lead to just three, 30-27, but Devyn Scott knocked down her first triple of the day to close out the half, sending the Owls into the locker room leading by six, 33-27.

The Green Wave battled over the first five minutes of the third period, mounting a 12-5 run to retake the lead, their first since the opening period, 39-38, however Dyllan Hanna knocked down a free throw at the 3:37-minute mark to tie the game at 39. The Owls locked in over the final three minutes of the third, producing a 13-4 run to close out the third and push the Florida Atlantic lead back to nine, 52-43, entering the final 10 minutes of play.

Hanna extended the Owls' lead back to double figures to open the fourth, 54-43. The Owls continued to pressure the Green Wave, outscoring Tulane 14-9through the 4:53-minute mark, which was capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers from Zaph, to push the Owls' lead to their largest of the contest at 16, 68-52. The Green Wave tried to battle back, cutting the Owls' advantage to just nine, 75-66, with 1:43 to play, but it wasn't enough as Florida Atlantic would ride a 4-1 run over the final minute of play to capture the 80-67 win.

HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS

"Exciting win. We were excited going into this game. Felt good about it. Got off to kind of a slow start in the first quarter, but kind of found our rhythm late. Had some big performances from players throughout, but I think our defense, in moments when it needed to step up it did. So really proud of our group for rebounding after last game."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

The Owls' 13-point win marks their largest margin of victory in a conference game so far this season.
Alexa Zaph, Aniya Hubbard, Janeta Rozentale, and Devyn Scott led the Owls in the win.
Zaph became the first Owl in program history to go perfect from beyond the arc with seven or more 3-pointers, 7-of-7. She tied a career-best 22 points, shooting 64 percent (7-of-11) from the field, 100 percent (7-of-7) from 3-point range and went 1-of-2 at the line, in addition to dishing out four assists and grabbing a rebound and a steal.
Hubbard finished with a team second-best 18 points, shooting 58 percent (7-of-12) from the field and going a perfect 100 percent (4-of-4) at the line. She also posted six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
Rozentale registered her fifth double-double of the season, pulling down a team-leading 12 rebounds and added 10 points. She shot 44 percent (4-of-9) from the field and 67 percent (2-of-3) from 3-point range and added three assists and a steal.
The Owls outscored the Green Wave in the second, 19-11, third, 19-16, and fourth quarters, 28-24.
Florida Atlantic also outshot Tulane from the field, 50 to 46.4 percent, from beyond the arc, 48.1 to 37 percent, and at the line, 68.8 to 62.5 percent.
The Owls also held an advantage in points off the bench, 31-8, second-chance opportunities, 12-1, fast break points, 14-12, and points in the paint, 30-28.

UP NEXT

The Owls close out their 2023-24 regular season slate on Sunday as they host the Charlotte 49ers for Senior Day inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

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