FAU women’s basketball (4-12, 0-5 C-USA) lost 73-49 against Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers (WKU) (13-4, 6-0 C-USA) in Bowling Green, Ky. on Thursday afternoon. The Owls lost their fifth straight Conference USA (C-USA) match, and seventh overall.

“I thought we had some shot opportunities that we turned down, looking to make a play off the pass, as opposed to looking to score,” head coach Jennifer Sullivan said. “The positive of having a great group is they’re easy to coach; the negative is they’re sometimes so selfless.” 

The Owls were without senior forward Amber Gaston after she suffered an injury on Jan. 13. An exact timeline of Gaston’s return was not provided but Sullivan gave an update.

“I’ve heard she’s progressing well in terms of when she’ll return,” Sullivan said. She did not, however, provide a specific timeline or injury. 

FAU started strong, as redshirt senior guard Rita Pleskevich buried a three-pointer 34 seconds into the game. The team went on a 10-2 run over the first 4:39, which was their largest lead of the game.

In the first, the Owls shot 40% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 80% at the free-throw line. The team made eight of 10 free throws throughout the period.

WKUgained momentum and cut the deficit to just two points by the end of the first quarter. 

The Hilltoppers kept the momentum through the second period and tied the game at 25 apiece just 1:25 into the quarter. 

Both teams remained even through the first five minutes of the quarter before WKU took over the game following an injury from senior guard Bre Beck. Beck was shaken up on a play and went directly to the locker room, but returned later in the quarter. 

The Hilltoppers outscored FAU 25-14 by the end of the second quarter, shot 61.1% from the field, and 60% from three-point territory. The Owls shot 54.5% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. 

Heading into halftime, FAU was shooting 47.6% and 40% from three-point territory, but they conceded 12 turnovers. WKU led 42-31.

The Hilltoppers widened the lead by 12 after a three-pointer from freshman guard Macy Blevins. Defensively in the third quarter, WKU held FAU to just six points. 

FAU made just three baskets in the quarter, each of which came from the bench. They also turned the ball over four times. WKU scored 12 points, going 3-15 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. 

Redshirt junior forward Janeta Rozentale fouled out of the game over two minutes into the fourth quarter.

FAU’s shooting woes continued as their shooting percentage was 18.8% from the field and 12.5% from three-point territory.

Overall, the Owls shot 32.7% from the field, 23.8% from beyond the arc, and 75% from the free-throw line.

While Pleskevich conceded eight turnovers throughout the game, the most of any player, the teams’ total was 23. 

Junior guard Kynadi Kuykendoll led the team in minutes played with 33. Redshirt senior guard Sofia Galeron led the bench with 31 minutes, and led the team in scoring with nine points. 

Freshman guard Mya Meredith led WKU with 12 points, including three three-pointers, with 22 minutes of playing time. 

The Owls will end their road trip in Huntington, W.Va. on Saturday, Jan. 22 against Marshall at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

Bryce Totz is the Sports Editor at the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @brycetotz.