While Florida Atlantic women’s basketball may have entered Sunday’s matchup against Florida Gulf Coast University 3-1 at home, the Owls had a tough time scoring the ball, and fell to the Eagles 65-50.

Freshman Katelyn O’Reilly led the Owls (3-6) with a total of 12 points. She made 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.

“She touched the ball a little bit, but she needs it more,” head coach Kellie Lewis-Jay said. “We’ve got to use her more.”

For the entire game, the Owls shot 29 percent from the floor and 24 percent from three. The Owls struggled to follow through and complete their plays throughout both halves.

“We did a poor job at converting,” Lewis-Jay said. “A ton of missed layups and a ton of missed shots. We’ve got to make those.”

Even though FAU struggled offensively, it managed to score 18 points in each of the first two quarters. Ten of FAU’s first-half points were in the paint.

Freshman Alexis Shannon did not score any points in this game, but her effort was noticeable.

“She gave everything in the second quarter, and was a huge key to the effort in the second quarter. She may not be adding much to the box scores, but helped us a lot defensively,” Lewis-Jay said.

With nine defensive rebounds, sophomore Ra’Kyra Gabriel added to the energy the Owls had in the second half of the game.

The Owls next game will be at home on Dec. 16, at 5 p.m. against Jackson State.

Monica Sherman is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].