Owls Fall in Hard-Fought Battle to Florida

Monday, November 24

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

2-3,0-0American

Florida

6-1,0-0SEC

Florida

Fla. Atlantic

11/24/2025 10:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Morgan McDonald

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic women's basketball team battled closely with Florida but were unable to hold on through the end of the game, dropping the contest 59-51 inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

The Owls fall to 2-3 while Florida improves to 6-1 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls had a slow start to the first quarter, with their first points coming from Destyne Jackson three minutes in. This was followed up by a Vivian Onugha layup to make the score 6-4 with 4:12 to go. Florida went on a 6-0 run before a Jess Moors jumper closed out the quarter, with FAU trailing by six, 14-8.

The Gators started to pull away at the start of the second, putting the Owls down by 10. Jackson brought FAU back within five points and started a 9-0 run for the Owls, allowing them to bring the score to 18-17. Florida Atlantic got its first lead of the game from a Michiyah Simmons 3-pointer with three minutes to go in the quarter, 20-19. The Owls led by two, 24-22, with under a minute to play, but the Gators closed the half on a 3-0 run to take a one-point advantage into the halftime break, 25-24.

Jackson knocked down a jumper to put the Owls back in front to open the third, 26-25, getting her ninth point of the night. The lead continued going back and forth, with six consecutive lead changes. Florida maintained the lead from the 6:28 mark through the end of the third. The Owls kept it close, ending the third down just five, 44-39.

The Gators extended their lead to the largest of the night at 11 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, holding Florida Atlantic scoreless until the 7:15 mark. The Gators pushed their lead back to 11 with 33 seconds to play, but a late rally just wasn't enough to close the gap, as Florida took the 59-51 contest.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"Really excited about the effort tonight against Florida. They are a very good team, and I thought we fought extremely hard for 40 minutes. There are a lot of things that we continue to improve, and I thought we improved a lot of those things today. We are about growth right now, so every game and every practice is instrumental for us to continue to make those moves."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

Jackson led the team in scoring with 10 points on the night. Onugha and Simmons were close behind with nine apiece.
Onugha narrowly missed her second double-double of the season, leading the team on the glass with nine boards.
The Owls outshot the Gators from the line, 76.9 percent to 73.1 percent.
Florida Atlantic won the possession game, outpacing the Gators in steals, collecting 13 to Florida's six. Moors led the Owls in this category, collecting a game-high five steals.
The Owls also bested the Gators on the offensive glass, 15 to 14, and forced Florida into more turnovers, 21 to 19.

UP NEXT
The Owls kick off the Thanksgiving Classic inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 12 p.m., where they will face off against Air Force 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.