Owls Fall on Road at South Florida

Saturday, February 21

Tampa, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

12-15,6-9American

South Florida

17-11,10-5American

Fla. Atlantic

South Fla.

2/21/2026 11:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Atlantic Owls battled tough on the road but fell 75-55 at South Florida on Saturday inside the Yuengling Center.

The Owls drop to 12-15 overall and 6-9 in American play, while South Florida moved to 17-11 on the season and 10-5 in league play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
South Florida scored first, taking a 4-0 lead. Jess Moors drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws at the 8:20-minute mark, cutting the deficit in half, 4-2. However, the Bulls outscored the Owls 15-4 over the remainder of the first as the Owls trailed 19-6 after one.

After a Bulls' free throw, Vivian Onugha scored on an and-1 to bring the Owls back within 11 at 20-9 after the opening minute of the second. But the Owls couldn't keep up with the Bulls' scoring as USF slowly extended its lead, holding a 20-point advantage, 34-14, with 48 seconds to play in the first half. Michiyah Simmons scored back-to-back buckets to close out the opening half as the Owls entered the locker room trailing 34-19.

The Owls opened the second half on a 5-2 run off a triple from Erin Rodgers and an Onugha jumper to cut the Bulls' lead to 36-24. However, the Bulls answered back, outscoring the Owls 16-7 to extend their lead back to 21, 52-31, with 2:26 remaining in the third. FAU closed the third on a 9-5 run to cut the Bulls' lead back down to 17, 57-40, entering the final 10 minutes of play.

FAU opened the fourth with a 5-2 run to cut the deficit back to 14, 59-45, with 8:21 to play. USF went on a 5-0 run to extend its lead to 19, 64-45, with under five minutes to go. Grace Carstensen connected on a pair of triples, and another layup from Onugha brought the Owls back within 14 at 67-53, with 2:48 to play, but it was just too little too late as the Bulls closed the fourth on an 8-2 run to close the 75-55 contest.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH LEANN FREELAND
"We knew going into this game, USF would be fired up to avenge their loss at our place. Unfortunately, they were able to establish a solid lead going into the half. Even though we scored 36 in the second half, we didn't have enough defensive stops to get back into the game. We have to be firing on all cylinders to be able to compete with USF, and tonight was not our night."

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

Onugha led the Owls in the contest, scoring a team-high 12 points, shooting 5-of-11 from the field, and knocking down a pair of free throws.
Moors dished out a team-best six assists, while Rodgers and Ineivi Plata led the Owls on the glass, tying for a team-high five rebounds.
As a team, the Owls collected more steals than the Bulls, 8-6, and the Owls' bench outscored USF's reserves, 17-14.

GALLERY

Gallery: (2-21-2026) WBB at South Florida (Feb. 21)

UP NEXT
The Owls return to Paradise on Tuesday, Feb. 24, as they host the Charlotte 49ers for a 7 p.m. tip at Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena, as well as 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.