FAU women’s basketball (2-4) lost their second and final game of the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament in the Burrow at Abessinio Court 61-58 to the Davidson University Wildcats (5-2) Saturday afternoon. 

The Owls got off to a great start going on a 6-0 run in the first five minutes of the first quarter and allowing no points on Davidson’s first six offensive possessions.

Senior forward Amber Gaston made her presence felt in the paint early, drawing two fouls and going 4-4 from the free-throw line in the first quarter. 

Off the bench, junior guard Nikola Ozola contributed well, shooting 2-2 from three-point range in the first half. However, Davidson stole all the momentum in the second quarter after a stretch of four turnovers in four minutes by FAU, leaving a 30-27 lead for the Wildcats going into halftime. 

The game stayed closely contested through the third quarter with the score tied 43-43 after forward Janeta Rozentale made one of her two free throws with 34 seconds left in the third quarter. However, Davidson guard Chloe Welch drew a foul with two seconds left in the third quarter and made both free-throws to give Davidson a 45-43 lead to start the fourth quarter.

Both teams continued to go back and forth well into the fourth quarter with the Owls taking a 58-57 after a four-point play from senior forward Sofia Galeron with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter. With 24 seconds to play in the game, Davidson forward Adelaide Fuller retook the lead for the Wildcats 59-58 with a second-chance layup. 

On the ensuing possession for FAU, guard Rita Pleskevich was called for a charging foul after an offensive rebound, turning the ball over with one second to play. Davidson made both free-throws after a quick foul by the Owls, sealing the win for the Wildcats. 

The loss for the Owls comes despite shooting better than Davidson from both the field and three-point range. FAU finished the afternoon shooting 40% from the field and just 33.3% from three-point range with Rozentale as the leading scorer with 13 points, eight rebounds, and an assist. 

The Owls look to bounce back on the road in Kennesaw, GA. against the Kennesaw State University Owls on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

Cameron Priester is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @PriesterCameron.