Owls Fall in Battle Against Rice

Saturday, January 3

Boca Raton, Fla.

2 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

6-8,0-2American

Rice

12-3,2-0American

Rice

Fla. Atlantic

1/3/2026 7:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle, 83-75, against the Rice Owls on Saturday at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

With the loss, the FAU Owls fall to 6-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while Rice improves to 12-3 and 2-0 in league play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Florida Atlantic Owls jumped out to a 4-0 lead off scores from Michiyah Simmons and Vivian Onugha. Rice answered back, scoring 10 unanswered points to take the lead, 10-4, through the 6:48-minute mark. Madi Gewirtz connected on her first 3-pointer of the day to bring the Owls back within three at 12-9 with 5:39 to go in the first quarter. Rice went on another run, pushing its lead back to nine at 20-11, but the Owls scored five unanswered points from a Gewirtz layup and a Simmons 3-pointer to make it a four-point game after one, 20-16.

Rice opened the second quarter on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to the largest of the half at 14, 32-18, through the 6:40 mark of the second. The Rice Owls held a 13-point advantage through a 36-23 lead with 2:58 to play, but Florida Atlantic closed the half on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to eight, 38-30, at the halftime break.

FAU scored seven unanswered to open the third, capped off by a triple and a pair of free throws from Zahira Arizmendi, to make it a one-point game, 38-37, just over two minutes into the half. Rice responded again, extending its lead back to 10, 49-39, through the 5:17-minute mark of the third. The Rice Owls held onto a 13-point advantage, 61-48, with under a minute to play, but back-to-back buckets from Gewirtz brought FAU back within eight, 61-53, entering the final 10 minutes of play.

Haley Walker and Gewirtz combined for eight points as the Owls outscored Rice 8-4 to open the fourth and cut the deficit to four, 65-61, with 7:25 to play in the game. However, Rice answered back once again, going on an 18-7 run to extend its lead to 15, 83-68, with 1:51 to play. FAU scored seven unanswered points over the final two minutes of play to close out the 83-75 contest.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"I feel good about our effort today against Rice. They are one of the best teams in the American. I felt we executed the game plan well. We scored the ball well, but we just have to make sure we're connecting and executing defensively for the full 40 minutes, because they're too good to give up second-chance opportunities or break down defensively at any point, especially in transition. I feel good about the game today, even though it was a loss, and I believe we did get a lot better today."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

Four Owls registered double figures in the contest, led by Gewirtz's first 20-point performance.
Gewirtz led the Owls with a career-best 22 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Simmons finished second on the team with a season-high 15 points, scoring 5-of-11 from the field, 1-of-4 from 3-point range, and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.
Walker posted her first career double-double, finishing with a team-best 10 rebounds and tallying 10 points, to go along with three assists and a steal.
Jess Moors rounded out the Owls' double-figure scorers with 11 points and added a team-best seven assists and two steals.
The FAU Owls' bench outscored Rice's reserves 29-10.
Florida Atlantic also held an advantage in transition, outscoring Rice 17-10 in fast break points.

GALLERY

Gallery: (1-3-2026) WBB vs. Rice

UP NEXT
The Owls will open their first conference road trip of the season on Wednesday, Jan. 7, as they head to Memphis, Tennessee, to take on the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Elma Roane Fieldhouse 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.