Good morning. The Florida Atlantic Owls’ women’s basketball team (5-5) picked up their biggest win of the season so far, defeating previously unbeaten UCF (8-1) on the road Monday, 59-58, inside Addition Financial Arena.

Mya Perry led the way for the Owls with a game-high 18 points, shooting 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field, 67 percent (4-of-6) from 3-point range, and going 2-of-3 from the line. She also tied for a team-leading four assists, pulled in three boards, and grabbed a team-leading two steals.

"Just an amazing win on the road after a really tough home loss,” said head coach Jennifer Sullivan. “Just cannot praise this group enough for their toughness and game execution.”

What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?

🏀 FAU men’s basketball climbs the AP poll rankings to No. 14
🎤 Podcast week - MBB on Barb Knows Best + Jordan Clark on “In the Circle”
🦉 And much, much more

📈 STOCK UP

Stock Up is brought to you by Go Solar Power—receive a complimentary Solar and Tesla Powerwall Savings Plan today. Receive a $2,000 rebate check at installation for being an Owl fan!

🔼 Who Runs the World? Girls. Let’s dive deeper into that huge for WBB over the previously unbeaten UCF Knights on Monday.

The teams exchanged leads throughout much of the game, but the Owls were on a mission in the fourth quarter. FAU opened the fourth on a 10-4 run to even up the contest. The Owls and Knights traded baskets back and forth through four ties. The Knights turned it over with seven seconds to go, opening up an opportunity for the Owls to win it. Rose Caverly attempted the 3-pointer in transition but just missed, but Jada Moore grabbed the offensive board and drew a foul with just four-tenths of a second to go. Moore knocked down the second free throw to clinch the 59-58 win for the Owls.  

SOME TEAM STATS:

• Three Owls registered double-digit performances in the win.

• Janeta Rozentale tied a season-high with 16 points, shooting 71 percent (5-of-7) from the field, a perfect 100 percent (3-of-3) from 3-point range, and 75 percent (3-of-4) from the line.

• Caverly posted a season-high 11 points, shooting 43 percent (3-of-7) from the field, 50 percent (3-of-6) from deep, and a perfect 100 percent (2-of-2) from the line.

• Moore led the Owls on the glass, grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds in the win.

The Owls will close out non-conference play on Thursday, Dec. 21, as they head to West Palm Beach to take on the San Diego State Aztecs in the West Palm Beach Classic. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. at Rubin Arena.

🔼 No More Teachers, No More Books. Statistics for the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) released recently by the NCAA indicated that a school-record 90 percent of freshmen student-athletes receiving scholarship aid or recruited individuals participating in programs that do not offer athletic aid graduated from Florida Atlantic University within six years.

The GSR is based on student-athletes who entered college as freshmen in 2013-16 and allows for the removal of those individuals from the cohort who left FAU in good academic standing. Florida Atlantic has steadily improved its overall GSR in each of the five years under Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White.

The following Owl programs achieved or matched their highest GSR since the NCAA began tracking the data 19 years ago – men's basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, men's tennis, men's swimming & diving, women's golf, women's swimming & diving, and women's tennis.

🔼 Onward and Upward. FAU's men's basketball team (9-2) continues to climb the AP Top 25, moving up to No. 14 in the latest rankings, as announced Monday.
 
The Owls are coming off another impressive week, going 2-0 with double-digit victories against FIU (94-60) at home and St. Bonaventure (64-54) at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. 
 
Junior guard Johnell Davis led the offense, scoring 16 points in each game, while junior center Vlad Goldin, the nation's leader in field goal percentage at 76%, scored 20 total points on a perfect 7-7 from the field.

The Owls are also climbing the NET rankings, now No. 11 in the nation.

The now No. 14 Owls will face their highest-ranked opponent yet, No. 4 Arizona (8-1), in a matchup in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 23. Tipoff will be at 3:30pm ET, and the game will be broadcast on FOX.

🔼 Wicked Smart. Florida Atlantic men's soccer graduate senior Victor Claudel has been named as a Third Team Academic All-American. He became the second player in FAU men's soccer program history to earn the prestigious honor, joining Hagay Jalon in 2019.
 
Acknowledged as one of the most selective and prestigious awards in all of college athletics, the CSC Academic All-America® program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field/court and in the classroom. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA, be an important starter/reserve, and have completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution.
 
Claudel is one of 34 Division I men's soccer student-athletes to earn Academic All-American status. The Strasbourg, France native finished the 2023 season with six goals and five assists. His 17 points were a team-high. He was named to the AAC Second Team All-Conference.
 
In the classroom, Claudel maintained a 3.87 GPA while working toward a graduate degree in Finance.

🔼 A Ticket to Paradise. Luca Miremont will join the Florida Atlantic University Owls' men's tennis team in the Fall of 2024, as announced by the Owls' Director of Tennis Ricardo Gonzalez.

 He is the fourth to announce his commitment to the program in recent weeks.

"Luca and I have had a good connection since the beginning of the recruiting process, which is extremely important for the development of a player," said Gonzalez. "Luca has the skill set to make an immediate impact on our team."

The native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, climbed to a career-high 71 in the February ITF Junior Rankings, and he currently stands at 323.
 
Miremont will join previously announced: Jan Kusy, Marek Pazdera, and Lucca Pignaton on the 2024-25 squad.

🔼  Squad Goals. Head coach Dusty May, Alijah Martin, and Nick Boyd represented Florida Atlantic Men's Basketball on the Barb Knows Best podcast to discuss how the team communicates to improve their lives on and off the court.

Some Quotes from the Podcast:

"So it's almost like it was a spontaneous combustion where it's just a bunch of people that really fit a bunch of parts that had been at different places at different times, and just all kind of came together and grew, continuing to grow together. And, but I think the mutual appreciation and the like-minded approach is what makes this group so special and unique." - Coach May

"If you come into a game or watching a practice, you come because you love our personalities and how we play." - Nick Boyd

"We know how to handle our emotions online and on the court. And then we just stay together no matter what. You know we never trying to subtract from the group." - Alijah Martin

Click here to listen to the full podcast. It is also available on Spotify and Apple Music. 

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🤔 PARADISE TRIVIA

Paradise Trivia is brought to you by the PowerOwls Club—an exclusive community dedicated to connecting FAU fans and student-athletes. Stay in the know about all they’re doing here.

We’re encouraging every fan to help the Power Owls Club reach their 1,000-card goal by December 31st. Purchase a Collectable Card TODAY to support FAU student-athletes!

To the Hoop. Who scored 62 points for an average of 3.4 points per game during the 2022-2023 season?

🦉 ONE BIG THING

FAU Drip. ShopFAUSports.com, the official online marketplace for Florida Atlantic Athletics, has a brand-new look, better functionality, and an upgraded assortment of official Owls athletic gear and accessories.

Just in time for the holidays, the new site unwraps a wider variety of FAU merchandise, collectibles, and accessories to better match the in-store selection of the on-campus bookstore.

Customers can now order online and pick up in-store and use Apple Pay as a payment option.

The online shop will carry gear from a number of name brands, including a wide selection of apparel, replica jerseys, and accessories from Adidas, Florida Atlantic Athletics' official sideline gear provider.

📬 FORWARDED BY A FRIEND

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📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday 12/20

🌊 Swimming vs Old Dominion, UIC @ 10am PT

Thursday 12/21

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. San Diego State - West Palm Beach Classic @ 11am ET | Live Video | Live Stats 

Friday 12/22

(No Activities Scheduled)

Saturday 12/23

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Arizona - Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada @ 3pm ET Fox + Fox Sports South Florida| Live Audio

Sunday 12/24

(No Activities Scheduled) 

Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! 🎄

🦉 Click here to view the entire FAU Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Tre Carroll

Check out some other impressive stats from Carroll’s ‘22-’23 season:

• Made 18 appearances off the bench for FAU in his redshirt freshman season

• Shot an impressive 64.1% from the field (25-of-39) and 54.5% from 3-point range (6-of-11)

• Tallied a career-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in the home win over UTSA to go with six rebounds

• Also scored a career-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor in the win over Bryant

• A member of FAU’s Male All-Freshman Team

🦉 Have a great Wednesday, y’all