Owls Falter in Second Half in Loss at Tulsa

Tuesday, January 27

Tulsa, Okla.

5 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

9-12,3-6American

Tulsa

14-6,6-2American

Fla. Atlantic

Tulsa

1/27/2026 7:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: David Smolka

TULSA, Okla. — The Florida Atlantic women's basketball team began their two-game road trip on Tuesday, falling 77-58 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane inside the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

The Owls drop to 9-12 on the season and 3-6 in American play, while the Golden Hurricane improve to 14-6 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening frame was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading baskets with the Owls holding two-point lead, 10-8 at the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, Erin Rodgers connected on her first triple of the game, the second for the Owls, giving them their largest lead of the first, 13-8. FAU and Tulsa continued exchanging baskets with no team leading by more than five. The first quarter saw three lead changes and two ties, with the Owls leading 17-16 after one.

The Owls opened up the second quarter with a strong 8-0 run, fueled by two triples from Grace Carstensen, who continued her hot shooting. With the lead extended to nine, 25-16, Tulsa and FAU traded layups before the Golden Hurricane responded with a 6-0 run of their own, trimming the deficit to three, 27-24, and forcing an Owls timeout with 4:26 remaining in the second. Out of the timeout, Carstensen hit her third triple of the quarter, halting Tulsa's run. The Golden Hurricane tied the contest at 32 before Jess Moors answered with an and-1 layup with 1:20 to go in the first half. FAU and Tulsa exchanged two-point baskets to close the half with the Owls taking a one-point lead into the halftime break, 37-36.

To open the second half, the Golden Hurricane took the lead right back, finishing a layup on their first offensive possession. Moors responded with a layup for FAU, with Carstensen then hitting her fourth 3-pointer of the game, as the Owls retook a four-point lead, 44-40. Tulsa responded once again, hitting their first triple of the game at the 4:58 mark, sparking a 6-0 run to swap the lead again at 46-44 and forcing an FAU timeout. Layla-J Cameron hit the Golden Hurricane's second straight triple before a Michiyah Simmons layup ended the Owls' four-minute scoring drought, 49-46. Tulsa then connected on five of their next six field goals to close the third quarter, leading by 10, 57-47.

It was once again Moors earning a trip to the free throw line for the Owls to start the fourth, cutting the deficit back to single digits, 57-49. Tulsa then extended its lead to 13 after two consecutive threes, forcing another FAU timeout with 7:19 to play. After the timeout, the Owls struggled to find their rhythm for the remainder of the contest, and the Golden Hurricane eventually took the win, 77-58.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"Disappointing second half at Tulsa. We're good enough to play with this team, but unfortunately, we had too many defensive breakdowns, and we were unable to find a rhythm offensively in the second half. Excited for the opportunity to get back on the court on Saturday at North Texas."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

For the second consecutive game, Moors and Carstensen led the Owls in scoring.
Carstensen finished with 14 points, knocking down four triples.
She has now made a 3-pointer in 18 of the Owls' 21 games this season.
For the tenth time this season, Haley Walker led the team on the glass, pulling down a team-best five rebounds against Tulsa.
The Owls came into the game leading the American in bench points at 24.5 a game and scored 23 vs. the Golden Hurricane.
FAU held the advantage in 3-point makes, hitting six threes compared to Tulsa's five.
Tulsa outscored the Owls in the paint, 40-26.

GALLERY

Gallery: (1-27-2026) WBB at Tulsa (Jan. 27)

UP NEXT
FAU will continue its road trip on Saturday, as the Owls head to Denton, Texas, for a matchup against the North Texas Mean Green on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+, inside the Super Pit.

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.