Owls Close Home Season with Senior Night Win

Tuesday, March 3

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

13-16,7-10American

Tulane

11-18,6-11American

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Tulane	11	13	19	14	57
Fla. Atlantic	12	16	16	17	61

3/3/2026 10:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Morgan McDonald

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls closed out their 2025-26 home slate on Tuesday, earning a 61-57 win on senior night against the Tulane Green Wave on Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

The Owls improve to 13-16 overall and 7-10 in American play, while Tulane falls to 11-18 on the season and 7-10 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game had an unusual start with Tulane shooting two free throws before tip-off due to an administrative technical foul on Florida Atlantic. As the Owls started the game down 1-0, Vivian Onugha and Ineivi Plata both contributed to tie the game up, 4-4, with seven minutes left in the opening quarter. FAU took its first lead of the game at the 4:34-minute mark from a Haley Walker layup to make it 8-7. Both squads tacked on four more as the Owls held a 12-11 advantage heading to the second.

Michiyah Simmons opened the second quarter with her sole 3-pointer of the night to extend the Owls' lead to 15-11. Grace Carstensen followed up with a three of her own a minute later, scoring her first points of the night. Tulane regained the lead until Plata put the Owls back in front, 21-19, with the Owls' third triple of the quarter. The teams continued to trade punches before the Owls scored five unanswered off another Carstensen three and a pair of free throws from Simmons to give the Owls a 28-23 lead with 1:34 to go in the half. The Green Wave tacked on one more to close out the half as the Owls took a four-point advantage into the locker room, 28-24.

The scoring continued to go back and forth in the third quarter. The Green Wave opened the second half on a 7-2 run to retake the lead, 31-30, over the first three minutes of the third. However, the Owls answered back on a 5-0 scoring run, retaking the lead once again, 35-31, and extending their lead back to four. Shortly after, the Green Wave battled back within one at 37-36, but another 5-0 Florida Atlantic run off Grace's third triple of the day and a jumper from Simmons, pushing the Owls' lead to 42-36 with 2:33 to go in the third. Tulane closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to cut the Owls' advantage back down to one, 44-43, entering the final period of play.

The Owls had a slow start to the fourth as Tulane scored four unanswered over the first three minutes of the quarter, however, Onugha got the Owls back on the board with a layup, marking her eighth point of the night. The back-and-forth battle continued, with neither team able to pull away for much of the fourth quarter. Florida Atlantic reclaimed a four-point lead, 55-51, before Tulane tied the game at 55 with 43 seconds to play. Madi Gewirtz hit the dagger from beyond the arc, putting the Owls back in front by three, 58-55. Tulane couldn't get another shot to fall as the Owls outscored the Green Wave at the line, 4-3, to close out the 61-57 win.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

NOTES AND TEAM STATS

With the win, Florida Atlantic moved into a three-way time for the No. 7-seed for next week's American Women's Basketball Championship.
The Owls also improved to 2-4 all-time against Tulane.
Simmons led the team on the night, scoring a team-best 13 points. Carstensen and Gewirtz rounded out the Owls' double-figure scorers, recording 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Plata led the team on the glass, tying a career-best seven boards in the win.
The Owls had nine steals on the night, with Onugha collecting a team-high four.
Florida Atlantic outshot Tulane from the floor, outpacing the Green Wave 37 percent to 35 percent. They also led from beyond the arc, outshooting the Green Wave 27 percent to 22 percent, and at the line, 79 percent to 70 percent.
The Owls' bench dominated the Green Wave's reserves, outscoring Tulane's bench 27-4.

GALLERY

Gallery: (3-3-2026) WBB vs. Tulane (March 3)

UP NEXT
The Owls will wrap up the regular season on the road, heading to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to face the Temple Owls on Saturday, March 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+ inside the Liacouras Center.

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.