FRISCO, Texas – (March 13, 2019) – As it had all season long, the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team fought hard, but this time their efforts came up just short, losing to Louisiana Tech 57-56 at the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday. The Owls record fell to 17-15.
The Start
The Owls came out firing on all cylinders offensively and built a 21-7 lead at the eight-minute mark of the first half. La Tech (20-12) used a 13-6 run to close to within seven, but FAU scored the final seven points of the frame to take a 34-20 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Turning Point
25 seconds into the second half, Michael Forrest made a layup that pushed the Owls’ lead to 16. That was the last FAU field goal for almost nine minutes, as the Bulldogs methodically whittled down the deficit, eventually tying the score at 37. Simeon Lepichev scored nine points as part of a 13-6 scoring spurt that gave the Owls a 50-43 lead with six minutes to go in the game.
The Finish
La Tech answered with a 10-2 rally to go up 53-52 with 2:19 remaining. Xavian Stapleton immediately responded with a triple to put FAU ahead 55-53. The Bulldogs tied the score on a layup with a minute to go. FAU came up empty on its next possession and La Tech drew a foul and made both free throws, taking a 57-55 advantage with 11 seconds left. The Owls also drew a foul on their end and had a pair of free throws to tie the game. The first attempt was good, but the second was off and a tip-in attempt also missed, allowing the Bulldogs to take the victory.
Notables
· Xavian Stapleton scored 17 points and added five rebounds.
· Simeon Lepichev posted 13 points.
· Anthony Adger made a pair three-pointers, giving him 89 for the season, the second highest single-season total in FAU history
· The Owls grabbed 35 rebounds in the game. FAU has a school record 1,266 rebounds on the year.
· FAU made six triples on Wednesday night, its total now 279 for the season, another school record.
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Dusty May
“I was proud of how hard (we) fought and competed…(Louisiana Tech) made one more play than we made.”
Social Media
For complete coverage of FAU men’s basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@FAU_Hoops).
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
