| BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team had a furious comeback against James Madison come up just short, falling 69-65 to the Dukes in Sunday’s matinee affair on Abessinio Court inside FAU Arena. QuotableHead Coach Dusty May: “Great college basketball game. Hats off to James Madison, they had some guys come in and make big shots, make timely shots. Came up with a couple of offensive rebounds, loose balls, turned us over in transition a few times, and just made enough plays to win. Hard-fought game, we’ve just got to defend the three a lot better, and just figure out a way to make a few more plays here and there to get over the hump.” The BeginningMidway through the first half, FAU (3-4) trailed by nine at 21-12, but Bryan Greenlee’s back-to-back 3-pointers cut it to a three-point game. JMU (6-2) once again went back up by nine with 3:12 to go, 31-22; this time the Owls scored eight in a row, all by Michael Forrest (a layup sandwiched in between two triples). The Dukes responded with a ‘3’ of their own, with Giancarlo Rosado making one of two free throws in the final seconds for a three-point halftime deficit, 34-31. The Turning PointThe Owls outscored the Dukes 10-5 to start the second, which included two 3-pointers by Alijah Martin, but then JMU scored 18 of the game’s next 22 to go up a dozen at 8:03 (57-45). The FinishOut of the under-eight timeout, Forrest made back-to-back threes, and Martin followed suit for nine in a row. Suddenly, the 12-point JMU lead shrunk to three in just 1:17 of gametime. A Johnell Davis lay-in cut it to one, but the Dukes hit threes on consecutive possessions. A Davis bucket and free throw made it 63-61 with exactly two minutes left. However, that would be the last Owl scoring until six seconds remaining (four of six JMU free throws made it 67-61 in the meantime). At that point, Greenlee made one free throw, missed the second intentionally, and he tipped the rebound to Martin, who buried a left wing 3. With 2.5 to go, the Owls trailed by just two, 67-65, but JMU made two more from the charity stripe to seal it. Owl the StatsForrest led the way with 18 points, making four 3-pointers (hitting that mark or better for the fifth time this year)He was joined in double digits by Martin and Rosado with a dozen apiece, and Greenlee’s 10At the half, those three had scored 27 of the Owls’ 31 – Forrest had 10 at that point, Greenlee nine and Rosado eightMartin and Rosado also paced the squad with five boards apieceMartin also tied for the team lead with four assists, alongside GreenleeWhat’s NextThe Owls will have two home games this upcoming week, Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against Stetson, and next Sunday, Dec. 5, versus North Florida. For tickets, click HERE or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS. Follow the OwlsFor the most up-to-date information on the squad, follow along on Twitter (@FAUMBB), Instagram (@FAUMBB) and Facebook (FAU Men’s Basketball). |
