BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Feb. 8, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team fell victim to a strong second half from FIU in a 66-59 loss on Saturday.
The Owls (14-11, 6-6 Conference USA) and Panthers (17-8, 8-4 C-USA) went back-and-forth in the early going, with neither team leading by more than three points through the game’s first 10 minutes. The score was tied 20-20 when the Owls reeled off a 19-5 run to take a 39-25 lead. Karlis Silins registered nine points during the run. A late FIU basket made the score 39-27 at the half.
FIU steadily narrowed the gap in the second half, eventually leveling the score 51-51 with 9:22 to play. There were three more ties and a lead change before Aleksandar Zecevic made a bucket in the lane, giving FAU a 59-58 edge at the 4:43 mark. The Panthers forced three turnovers, closing on an 8-0 run to take the game.
Notables
- Silins had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead the Owls in both categories
- Cornelius Taylor scored 10 points and recorded a career-high seven steals on his Senior Day
- FAU’s other celebrated senior, Zecevic, posted nine points and five rebounds in 18 minutes of action
- The Owls forced 22 FIU turnovers on Saturday, the most against any Division I FAU opponent this season
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Dusty May
“We got stagnant, didn’t move the ball well at pivotal times and just didn’t play as well in the second half as we did in the first.”
What’s Next
FAU travels to Southern Miss on Thursday, Feb. 13. Tip-off is set for 8 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.
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