FAU women’s basketball (12-15, 5-13 C-USA) lost their fifth consecutive game Saturday afternoon, in a 63-55 defeat to the University of Texas at El Paso Miners (UTEP)  (19-8, 12-6 C-USA) on the road.

Graduate forward Amber Gaston responded back to UTEP’s early three-pointer with a layup off the assist from freshman guard Devyn Scott, but the Miners answered right back with another three.

FAU struggled through the first quarter with the Miners taking control early on in the game. Scoring just seven points in the first, the Owls had the same amount of turnovers.

UTEP’s dominance on both sides of the floor allowed them to lead by 13 going into the second quarter.

FAU cleaned up their performance in the second quarter. Freshman guard Aniya Hubbard found some momentum, and helped fight the Owls back into the game with a 16-point contribution in the first half.

Heading into halftime, the Owls trailed 36-26. FAU was shooting 38.1% from the field without a single three made compared to the Miners’ 38.9% from the field  and 26.7% from three-point range.

Hubbard led the Owls in scoring at halftime with 16 points, four rebounds, and an assist. She got right back to work to start the second half with a quick two points to cut the Miners lead down to eight.

A trip to the free-throw line from Gaston cut UTEP’s lead to five, but the Miners answered back with an 8-0 run with just 4:49 left in the quarter.

Junior guard Joiya Maddox drew a foul and made both free-throw attempts to put the Owls within reach but the Miners’ stayed in control, leading by 12 to begin the fourth quarter.

With 7:06 left in regulation, redshirt senior, Janeta Rozentale made the Owls first three-pointer of the game, cutting the Miners lead to just six.

However, UTEP extended their lead back to 10. Senior guard Alexa Zaph hit a jumper with just 14 seconds left bringing the game to a close, but the Owls ended with a 8-point defeat.

The Owls shot 40.8% from the field and a rough 8.3% from the arc. Hubbard led the team with 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Rozentale chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.

The Owls will now return to Boca Raton and face the Rice University Owls (19-7, 10-7 C-USA) on Thursday, March 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena and will be broadcast on C-USA TV.

Gianna Alberti is a staff writer at the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email her at [email protected].