UNIVERSITY PARK, Fla. – (Feb. 5, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team could not withstand a hot-shooting second half performance from FIU, falling to the Panthers 69-50 on Wednesday night. The Owls are now 14-10 overall and 6-5 in Conference USA play.
The Owls’ defense kept them in the game in the first half, holding the Panthers (15-8, 7-4 C-USA) to just 38.7% shooting from the floor. That, combined with nine points from Aleksandar Zecevic, had FAU within nine at the half, 32-23.
Five Panther 3-pointers helped them extend their lead to as many as 25 in the second half. FAU continued to battle, and got the deficit down to 16 on two different occasions, but couldn’t get any closer, as FIU shot 46.7% in the second half.
Notables
- Zecevic had 13 points and five rebounds to lead the Owls in both categories. It was his second straight double-digit scoring game
- Cornelius Taylor scored nine points to go along with three rebounds, three steals and an assist
- Madiaw Niang posted six points, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal
- Kenan Blackshear came off the bench to record four points, four rebounds and three steals
- FAU’s bench outscored FIU’s reserves 31-19 on the night
Quotables
FAU Head Coach Dusty May
“”We have to regroup and figure out a way to make some adjustments on Saturday, because (FIU) is a talented basketball team, especially when they’re shooting the ball well.”
What’s Next
FAU hosts FIU in a rematch on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at fausports.com. The game can be heard on FOX Sports 640AM. Live updates will be posted to the team’s official Twitter account, @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 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi 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.
