FAU women’s basketball (5-19, 1-12 C-USA) suffered a devastating 76-45 loss to the University of North Texas (UNT) Mean Green (13-10, 6-7 C-USA) in Denton, TX Thursday night. Losing their last five games, the Owls continue to be unsuccessful in breaking their losing streak.

The Mean Green took the early advantage against a struggling FAU team by scoring 19 points in the first quarter. The Owls did not find the basket often, only scoring nine points, with senior guard Rita Pleskevich leading the Owls with four points for the quarter. The Owls struggled to find opportunities in their offensive possessions, turning the ball over five times. 

UNT’s junior guard Quincy Noble had a notable first half, contributing 17 points, three assists, and three steals. The Mean Green ended the half strong, leading 42-24, shooting 58.1% from the field, 44% from three-point range, accumulating 16 total rebounds, and getting six steals. 

FAU finished the half with a disappointing performance, having 12 turnovers, nine total rebounds, two steals, and committed eight fouls. 

For the entirety of the second half, FAU could not recover from its large deficit as UNT maintained at least a 20-point lead. Pleskevich and senior guard Amber Gaston were the only players to score 10 or more points. The Owls ended the game shooting 10% from deep. The team also committed 17 turnovers.

UNT’s Noble stole the show, being the only player to score over 20 points compared to her teammates who surpassed nine points. The Mean Green took home the win after shooting 54.4% from the field, 50% from behind the arc. They had 33 total rebounds, 15 assists, and made 11 steals.

The Owls will travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Saturday, Feb. 19, for a matchup against Middle Tennessee State University at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

Matthew Aguilar-Lizzi is a contributing writer at the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected], or tweet him @mattaguilarUP.