Owls Fall at North Texas

Saturday, January 31

Denton, Texas

3 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

9-13,3-7American

North Texas

12-10,6-4American

Fla. Atlantic

North Texas

1/31/2026 9:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

DENTON, Texas — The Florida Atlantic women's basketball team fell in a road battle 67-49 on Saturday at North Texas inside the Super Pit.

The Owls fall to 9-13 on the season and 3-7 in American play, while North Texas improves to 12-10 and 6-4 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Ineivi Plata got the Owls on the board first, 2-0. North Texas took its first lead of the contest 5-4, however, the Owls jumped back in front, 9-5, following a pull-up jumper from Erin Rodgers and a Haley Walker triple. The Owls maintained a 9-7 lead at the opening media timeout. The Mean Green retook the lead after an 8-2 run, taking a 15-11 advantage. Michiyah Simmons brought the Owls within two at 15-13, however, the Mean Green scored once more, making it 17-13 at the first quarter break.

Turnovers and an off-shooting quarter plagued the Owls in the second as North Texas outpaced FAU 23-5 in the second, taking a 40-18 advantage into the halftime break.

The Owls had their best quarter of the contest in the third. North Texas extended its lead to 47-22, however, the Owls battled back to close out the quarter, outscoring the Mean Green 11-4 to cut the deficit to 18, 51-33, heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Florida Atlantic matched the Mean Green point for point in the fourth, but the Owls couldn't overcome the deficit, falling 67-49.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"Disappointing loss at North Texas. In order to compete in the American, we have to be more physical on the road, and I felt like the physicality of North Texas kind of wore us down early, especially in the second quarter. I was happy with our second half. I thought we did come back more physical. We made some adjustments, which we executed well. I was proud of the efforts of Michiyah Simmons and Erin Rodgers offensively to help us put some points on the board. Hopefully, this will help us prepare even more for the physicality in the final eight games in the American Conference."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS
• Erin Rodgers and Simmons led the Owls on the day.
• Rodgers finished with a career-best 23 points, shooting 10-of-18 from the field, knocking down a 3-pointer, and going 2-of-2 at the line. She also added four rebounds and a steal.
• Simmons scored 13 points, finishing 5-of-13 from the field and 3-of-3 at the line, and added a team-best three steals and two rebounds.
• Vivian Onugha collected a team-high eight rebounds, and Plata led the Owls with two assists.
• The Owls outscored the Mean Green off the bench, 41-26.

GALLERY

Gallery: (1-31-2026) WBB at North Texas (Jan. 31)

UP NEXT
The Owls return home next Saturday as they host the UAB Blazers for their National Girls and Women in Sports Day game. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at 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.