FAU women’s basketball (4-7) concluded the Pre-Christmas Tournament with a heartbreaking 65-63 loss after a hard fought game against Alabama A&M (2-8) on Monday afternoon in the Burrow at Abessinio Court.

The Owls came out sluggish in the first quarter of a second game of a back-to-back, trailing the Bulldogs 28-14 at the end of the period. They shot just 28% from the field and 20% from the three-point line for the quarter.

Storming back in the second quarter, FAU cut AAMU’s lead to 36-32 following a layup from redshirt senior Rita Pleskevich to close the quarter. Pleskevich and redshirt sophomore Kimia Carter finished the half with 22 points combined. 

Senior forward Amber Gaston tied the game 36-36 with 8:40 left in the third quarter. After the two teams traded buckets, the Owls went on a 5-0 run to take a 43-38 lead for what would be their biggest lead of the afternoon. 

The Owls’ defense held the Bulldogs in check in the third quarter as they shot just 25% from the field, leading 47-46  to head into the fourth quarter. 

AAMU came out fresher in the fourth quarter, quickly regaining the lead and holding it for most of the quarter. Within the final minute of the game, redshirt senior Sofia Galeron nailed a three-pointer to have the score tied 63-63. 

As time winded down, AAMU’s Nigeria Jones held for the last shot, knocking down a two-pointer with one second remaining on the game clock. The Owls took one last shot from half court that failed to convert as time expired.

Despite the losing effort, Carter notched a career-high 21 points. 

The Owls will take a nine-day break for the holidays before playing again on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 6:00 p.m. against the Charlotte 49ers at Halton Arena in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be broadcast live on C-USA TV. 

Kevin Garcia is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email him [email protected] or follow him on twitter @kevingar658.