FAU women’s basketball (12-17, 5-12 C-USA) fell 65-60 in their regular season finale to the Louisiana Tech University Lady Techsters (19-11, 12-8 C-USA) Saturday afternoon at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.  

After Saturday’s defeat, the Owls will enter the Conference USA Championship Tournament, which starts March 8 in Frisco, Texas, on an eight-game losing streak. This losing skid comes after the Owls began the season with an overall record of 10-1.

Six early turnovers allowed the Lady Techsters to take the lead after the first quarter, but the Owls’ shooting kept the score close. FAU shot 41.2% from the field and 40% from behind the arc, which kept LA Tech’s lead at 19-17.

The Owls had their most efficient period on offense in the second quarter, scoring 21 points while shooting 53.3% from the floor and 60% from deep. Despite outscoring the Lady Techsters in the second quarter, FAU went into halftime trailing by one.

Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter, but LA Tech was able to maintain their lead outscoring FAU 10-7. Though neither side made a single three-point attempt, the Owls shot a rough 16.7% from the field in the third quarter, leaving the Lady Techsters up by four with a quarter left to play.

What was a closely contested affair throughout remained that way into the start of the fourth. A contested-layup just 10 seconds into the fourth quarter by redshirt senior forward Janeta Rozentale cut the lead down to two.

As the fourth continued, however, LA Tech began to pull away. After Rozentale’s layup, LA Tech went on a 10-4 scoring run that extended their lead to 10—the largest of the game—with 4:30 in regulation. 

The Owls attempted to mount a comeback, as freshman guard Aniya Hubbard scored 7 points in the final three minutes of regulation. That attempt fell short, however, as FAU ultimately fell by five when the final buzzer sounded. 

Hubbard finished the night as the Owls’ leading scorer with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Graduate forward Amber Gaston was the only other Owl to score in double figures with 12 points, 3 rebounds and an assist.

Senior guard Keiunna Walker led LA Tech in scoring with a game-high 30 points on 52% shooting from the field. 

The 5-point defeat seals a last place regular season finish in the C-USA for FAU for the second in a row, as well as the eleventh seed in the C-USA Championship Tournament. 

As the eleventh seed, they will take on the sixth-seeded University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners (11-18, 9-11 C-USA) in the first round of the tournament on March 8 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast by C-USA TV.

Cameron Priester is the Sports Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @PriesterCameron