After leading by 13 points with 6:18 left in the second quarter, Florida Atlantic women’s basketball was outscored 49-21 the rest of the game, resulting in a 82-67 loss to the University of Southern Mississippi on Saturday night in Boca Raton.

The Owls (4-21, 0-14 Conference USA) shot 28 percent from the field in the final 16:18 of the game, including just 1-of-6 from three-point land. The Lady Eagles (18-9, 10-5 Conference USA) on the other hand, shot 59 percent from the field during that stretch.

For the game, FAU was held to just 38 percent shooting, and was outrebounded 50-33. The Owls had three players in double digits, led by freshman Julia Jenike’s 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

A tight defensive first quarter quarter saw neither lead by more than five, though FAU jumped to an early 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game. Both teams, however, combined for 36 percent shooting from the field and eight turnovers.

In the second quarter, the Owls defensive pressure improved and they used a 15-2 run in a 4:24 span to take a nine-point lead. FAU also forced six turnovers during the run.

FAU held the Lady Eagles to 2-of-10 shooting in the quarter and forced nine total turnovers, leading to 14 points on the offensive end. The Owls also used six 3-pointers to outscore Southern Miss 19-9 in the period and take a 35-25 lead into halftime.

FAU was able to extend its lead to13 points a little over three minutes into the third quarter, but the Owls were held to no field goals in the final 6:18 of the quarter. The Lady Eagles used the Owls’ struggles to outscore them 13-3, trimming the lead down 49-46 heading into the final quarter.

FAU was outscored 36-18 in the final period, and allowed the Lady Eagles to shoot 70 percent from the field. Southern Miss also knocked down all four of its three-point attempts in the fourth.

Senior Brittanny Dinkins finished with a game-high 28 points, 16 of which came in the second half.

The Owls will take their final road trip of the season, starting with a visit to the University of Texas at El Paso on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 8:05 p.m.

Hans Belot Jr. is the sports editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @Don_Phenom_.