Second-Half Surge Pushes Florida Atlantic past Charlotte

Wednesday, February 7

Charlotte, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

8-14,3-8AAC

Charlotte

13-10,6-5AAC

Fla. Atlantic

Charlotte

2/7/2024 11:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A dominant second-half effort and a season-best and career-high-tying 22 points from Alexa Zaph powered the Florida Atlantic Owls (8-14, 3-8 AAC) to a 66-55 road win over the Charlotte 49ers (13-10, 6-5 AAC) on Saturday inside Halton Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Charlotte opened the contest on a 6-0 run over the first three minutes of play, but the Owls roared back, scoring 10 unanswered through the 4:56-minute mark, capped off by a pair of triples from Alexa Zaph, to give the Owls their first lead of the day, 10-6. The teams traded baskets as the Owls held a lead at 10, 12, and 14, but Charlotte brought the score even at 14-14, before closing the period on a pair of free throws to hold a 16-14 advantage after the first.

Alexa Zaph opened the second with a jumper to bring the Owls back even at 16. The 49ers then went on a 5-0 run to retake the lead, 21-16. Charlotte held a 23-20 lead at the final media timeout of the opening half, but the Owls knocked down back-to-back triples from Allie Tylka and Zaph to battle back and take a three-point advantage with 2:35 to play in the half. However, the Owls couldn't get another shot to fall as the 49ers closed the half on a 9-0 run to hold the 32-26 lead at the break.

The 49ers extended their lead to eight, 39-31, to open the second half, after outscoring the Owls 7-5 through the 6:48-minute mark, however Florida Atlantic locked in through the rest of the third, holding the 49ers to just one free throw, outscoring Charlotte 12-1 to lead by three with 10 minutes to play, 43-40.

The Owls continued the momentum into the fourth, outscoring Charlotte 14-2 through the first five minutes to give the Owls their largest lead of the contest at 57-42. The 49ers tried to battle back, cutting Florida Atlantic's lead to seven, 62-55, but the Owls wouldn't break as they capitalized on free throws from Zaph and Jada Moore to clinch the 66-55 win.

HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS

"I can't praise our players enough for stepping up in such a big way and executing the gameplan with contributions from everybody, the starting group, and our bench was huge for us. One of our biggest keys for the game was transition defense. We did a really great job against a really great scoring team and held their best player to just nine points. Just really really proud of their effort, execution, and scoring.

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

Alexa Zaph and Jada Moore led the Owls against Charlotte.
Zaph had her best performance of the season so far, tying a career-best 22 points, shooting 33 percent (5-of-15) from the field, 40 percent (4-of-10) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 100 percent (8-of-8) at the line. She also added a pair of steals and an assist.
Moore also scored double-figures for the Owls, turning in 16 points against the 49ers. Moore shot 45 percent (5-of-11) from the field and 86 percent (6-of-7) at the line. She also grabbed a team second-best seven rebounds, in addition to tying for a team lead with three assists, and grabbing a couple steals.
Janeta Rozentale also had a great defensive effort for the Owls, pulling down a game-high 11 boards, while also narrowly missing a double-double with eight points.
The Owls dominated Charlotte in the second half, outscoring the 49ers 40-23 during the final two periods.
Florida Atlantic also held a huge advantage off second-chance points, outscoring the 49ers 17-7 in second-chance opportunities.
The Owls' bench also dominated Charlotte, outscoring the 49ers reserves by more than double, 24-10.
The win marked the Owls first against Charlotte since the 2020-21 season and snapped a five-game skid against the 49ers.

UP NEXT

The Owls return home this weekend as they prepare to face off against the Wichita State Shockers for the Owls' annual Play 4 Kay game. The Owls will also celebrate alumni day on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

FOLLOW THE OWLS

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