The Owls picked up three key wins last week to propel them into a late-season surge.
The women’s basketball team came from behind to defeat the New Jersey Institute of Technology 61-58 on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with the game-winning shot going in just three seconds before the buzzer.
With the score tied 58-58 with fifteen seconds remaining, freshman Kamiyah Street came through for the Owls, scoring on a late layup. Following the made shot, Street was fouled and completed her free throw to put the Owls ahead by three points.
Trailing the Highlanders 28-16 at halftime, the Owls outscored them 45-30 in the second half. Street scored 21 points and posted her fourteenth straight double-digit scoring game.
Carlotta Gianolla and Alexis Poole each had 15 points. Poole recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds.
The Owls dropped a game to Jacksonville 49-67 on Saturday, Feb. 10, ahead of their final home game and a three-game road trip to round out the season before heading to the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
The men’s basketball team was victorious in both of its games last week, defeating North Florida 89-81 on Thursday, Feb. 8, before blowing away Jacksonville 78-54 on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Senior guard Nick Masterson was heavily involved in both games, starting out with a 28-point performance against the Ospreys. He helped the Owls keep up with the Ospreys as many lead changes occurred throughout the game. The Owls played from behind for most of the second half.
Six three-point shots by Masterson led the way, and solid performances by James Scott and Tyler Hooker helped the Owls eventually catch up to the Ospreys. A timely layup from Hooker in the final two minutes put the Owls in front for good after a prolonged back-and-forth contest.
In Saturday’s senior night game against the Dolphins, Masterson and Scott each put up 20 points to lead the way for the Owls. Masterson, along with Jordan Jones and Arthur Gray, celebrated their final games at the Convocation Center in style, contributing to the largest margin of victory against an Atlantic Sun Conference team in 11 years.
Leading by 18 points at halftime, the Owls extended their lead by as much as 35 points before the Dolphins mitigated the damage late in the game. February has traditionally been the strongest month for this team, going 12-5 and undefeated so far under head coach Al Skinner.
Mirroring the women’s team, the men’s team will finish off the season with three road games, most notably their next one, which will be against conference-leading Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.
