FAU women’s basketball (3-1) began the Thanksgiving Classic with a 51-41 victory over the Binghamton University Bearcats (4-2) in Eleanor A. Baldwin Arena on Friday evening.

With back-to-back wins, this marks the first time the Owls did this since the beginning of last season when they started 2-0 following victories against Palm Beach Atlantic and Bethune-Cookman.

“We’re excited,” said head coach Jennifer Sullivan. “We’re really excited about the players that made a run to help carry us through and get a W.”

The Owls outscored Binghamton 15-8 after the first quarter. They shot 37.5% from the field to the Bearcats’ 30.8%, and won the rebounding battle 13-7.

FAU led 22-16 going into halftime. The team maintained their lead throughout the second period despite making just three of their 17 field-goal attempts.

The Bearcats found their first lead of the game with 5:36 left in the third quarter following a three-pointer from redshirt freshman guard Ella Wanzer that put them ahead 27-26. FAU responded with an 11-2 run heading into the fourth quarter.

FAU shut down Binghamton in the fourth quarter to seal the game away, pressuring them into taking tough shots as the team only allowed five out of 20 shots to go in. 

Freshman guard Aniya Hubbard led the Owls in scoring with 17 points, alongside seven rebounds. Redshirt senior forward Rozentale followed with a double-double performance of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while senior guard Alexa Zaph finished with six points and eight rebounds.

Senior guard Denai Bowman and Wanzer were the only players who scored in double figures for Binghamton. Bowman had 14 points and four rebounds, and Wanzer put up 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists.

The Owls will conclude the Thanksgiving Classic with a matchup against Sacred Heart University this Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on C-USA TV.

Richard Pereira is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Rich26Pereira.