Dominant Third Quarter Powers Owls to Road Win Over WKU

Wednesday, December 3

Bowling Green, Ky.

7:30 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

5-3,0-0American

Western Kentucky

3-5,0-0CUSA

Fla. Atlantic

Western Ky.

12/3/2025 11:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Morgan McDonald

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A dominant third quarter performance helped power the Florida Atlantic Owls to a 47-44 road win against Western Kentucky on Wednesday evening at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Owls improve to 5-3 while Western Kentucky falls to 3-5 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Destyne Jackson had the first points of the night to put the Owls in front early. Western Kentucky took the lead at the 6:13 mark to make the score 6-5. WKU kept the lead for the remainder of the quarter. FAU was able to keep it close, however, heading into the second quarter down 14-11. Jackson led the Owls in scoring in the first, collecting seven of the Owls' 11 points.

Western Kentucky extended its lead to five at the beginning of the second. Madi Gewirtz had her first points of the night with a 3-pointer to bring the Owls back within two at 16-14. WKU extended its lead to seven, 23-16, however, Grace Carstensen knocked down her first 3-pointer of the day, bringing the score to 19-23. The Owls headed to the locker room trailing by six, 27-21.

FAU came out of the locker room on fire in the third quarter. Jess Moors started a 15-2 run for Florida Atlantic, giving the Owls a 36-29 lead just four minutes into the second half. Zahira Arizmendi contributed 11 points to this run with three 3-pointers and a layup. The Owls held Western Kentucky scoreless for over seven minutes, heading into the fourth quarter with FAU up 42-36.

The fourth quarter started slowly for both sides. In the first seven minutes, Western Kentucky put up four points while the Owls were held scoreless. At the 2:40 mark, WKU tied the game, but the Owls immediately answered with another 3-pointer from Arizmendi, retaking the lead 45-42. The Owls were able to hold on through the remainder of the contest to claim the 47-44 win.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"Great win on the road. I thought our players played really hard, and any win on the road is a great win. I do think that we can continue to improve, but I was really impressed with our defensive effort and how hard we played to earn the win on the road."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

Arizmendi led the way for the Owls, scoring a career-high 14 points, shooting 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field and from beyond the arc (4-of-8).
Haley Walker led the Owls once again on the glass, collecting nine boards.
Moors had a team-leading six assists in the win.

GALLERY

Gallery: (12-3-2025) Florida Atlantic WBB at Western Kentucky

UP NEXT
The Owls return home for a two-game homestand, beginning with Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. 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.