Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball played in their preseason exhibition game against the University of Fort Lauderdale Eagles on Oct. 29. FAU dominated over their opponents, 111-29. 

Guards Mya Perry, Jada Moore and Erin Rodgers led FAU in scoring, each putting up 17 points. Lauderdale only had one player, Esther Joseph, in double digits with 12 points. 

The Owls attained 44 rebounds and racked up 27 assists while shooting 61% from the field and 34.5% from the 3-point line. Lauderdale, on the other hand, shot 35.1% from the field and 0% from the 3-point line, while only getting 17 rebounds and one assist.

“Coming into this game the biggest thing for us was execution…,” said head coach Jennifer Sullivan, “So, anytime you can get 111 points on any given night that is a great thing.” 

The Owls’ first regular season game is a road game against the University of Florida Gators on Nov. 4 at the Stephen O’Connell Center.

Recap:

Florida Atlantic won the tip-off and immediately got off to a good start by scoring nine points in the first 2:21 of the game. Lauderdale then scored 15 seconds later and brought the score up to 9-2. 

Soon after, center Evie Van Der Woude was injured and FAU subbed in forward Alana Rouser. The exact injury is unclear, but Woude recovered fast and played later in the game. 

FAU extended their lead to 15-4. The score stood for about the next two minutes until the drought ended when guard Ta’Ziah Jenks made the first three-pointer of the game. 

“It was just fun trusting my teammates, them giving me the ball. It was just fun being out there with them,” said Jenks. 

The Owls went on a 10-point scoring run, bringing their lead over the Eagles to 21. Lauderdale scored two baskets back-to-back, bringing them back into the game. The Owls responded once again with four baskets of their own, bringing the score to 31-8. Lauderdale ended the period with one more basket, bringing the final score of the period to 31-10. 

The second period started with FAU and Lauderdale going back to back in scoring within 1:30, bringing the score to 35-12. Florida Atlantic went on another scoring run, resulting in a bigger lead bringing 47-12. 

“I thought the first half, which we kind of expected, nerves and excitement, our execution wasn’t quite what we wanted,” Sullivan said. “But I really thought the third quarter and definitely the fourth, we settled down a bit.”

The Eagles and Owls went back and forth once again, bringing the score to 50-16. The Eagles went on another scoring run, going from 50 points to 61. Both teams finished the period with layups, bringing the final score of the period to 63-18. 

FAU and Lauderdale exchanged baskets most of the third period, with the Owls gathering another 23 points and the Eagles only bringing in nine. The third period ended with an 86-27 score. 

The Owls continued their domination, led by Perry and Jenks, who both put up five points. The Eagles struggled to keep up, making one two-pointer in the period. This left the final score at 111-29. 

Rayne Welser is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email her at rwelser2024@fau.edu or DM her on Instagram @_morgan.ray.