Owls Fall at South Alabama

Thursday, November 20

Mobile, Ala.

8 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

2-2,0-0American

South Alabama

4-1,0-0Sun Belt

Fla. Atlantic

South Alabama

11/21/2025 12:34:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. – The Florida Atlantic Owls fell short on the road at South Alabama on Thursday, dropping a 70-63 contest at the Mitchell Center.

The Owls fall to 2-2, while South Alabama improves to 4-1 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls started off hot as a fast break layup from Jess Moors capped off a 10-1 opening run with FAU leading by nine at the opening media break. Grace Carstensen's first triple of the day kept the Owls' lead at six, 15-9, with just under two minutes to play in the first, but the Jaguars closed the quarter on a 6-1 run to cut the FAU lead to just one, 16-15, at the end of the first.

The two squads traded baskets to open the second, battling through three ties to a 22-22 stalemate with 4:41 to play in the half. The Jaguars went on an 8-3 scoring run to hold a five-point advantage, 30-25, with 1:28 to go in the half. However, Carstensen knocked down her second triple of the day to make it a one-possession game at the break, 30-28.

Vivian Onugha tied things back up at 30-30 off a layup to open the third. A pair of free throws from Moors kept things within one, 33-32, through the 7:11-minute mark. However, the Jaguars then scored 13 unanswered points to take their first double-figure lead of the night, 46-32. The Owls started to battle back, cutting the lead to eight, 51-43, with a minute to play in the third, but USA scored four more to close out the quarter, making it 55-43 entering the final 10 minutes of play.

The Jaguars knocked down a three to open the fourth, pushing their lead to its largest of the night at 15, 58-43. South Alabama maintained a 15-point advantage through a 63-48 lead with 4:41 remaining. The Owls rallied late on a 13-2 run to cut the Jaguars' lead to just four, 65-61, with 1:27 to play, but a couple of costly turnovers caused the Owls' rally to fall just short as South Alabama took the contest, 70-63.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"Disappointing loss to South Alabama. Their pressure and size definitely influenced our performance. We turned the ball over way too much and didn't execute as well as we needed to compete in their arena. We just have to get better."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

Four Owls scored in double-figures, led by Onugha with a game-best 17 points, shooting 55 percent (6-of-11) from the field and 83 percent (5-of-6) from the line. Moors and Destyne Jackson tied with 11 points apiece, and Michiyah Simmons rounded out the Owls' double-figure scorers with 10 points on the night.
Jackson dished out a game-high three assists to lead the team.
Moors led the Owls in steals, collecting a season-high six.
Haley Walker led the Owls on the glass, collecting a team-high six rebounds.
Madi Gewirtz recorded the Owls' sole block in the contest.
The Owls outscored the Jaguars in the first quarter, 16-15, and in the fourth quarter, 20-15.
Florida Atlantic also outshot South Alabama from 3-point range, 33.3 percent to 29.4 percent, and at the line, 82.8 percent to 72.4 percent.
FAU also held an advantage in fast break points, outscoring USA 18-11 in transition.

UP NEXT
The Owls return to Paradise next week as they get set to host the Florida Gators for a 7 p.m. tip on Monday, Nov. 24, inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena and on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date with everything Florida Atlantic women's basketball, follow @FAUWBB_Hoops on X and @FAUWBB on Instagram, or like Florida Atlantic Women's Basketball on Facebook.

Florida Atlantic's 2025-26 season is sponsored by Flagler Credit Union.