Owls Hang On

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BOCA RATON – FAU withstood a late rally from Mercer to defeat the Bears 68-64.

Junior forward Jailyn Ingram led the Owls with a game-high 22 points, while Richardson Maitre added a career-high 14.

“Overall, very pleased that we were able to find a way to win with some defensive effort and rebounding,” FAU coach Dusty May said. “(Mercer) is a good basketball team, to hold them 2-for-17 from three, we couldn’t be happier with (the way) we followed the game plan.”

FAU led by 10 at halftime, but Mercer rallied to within a single point three separate times late in the second half, never taking the lead.

The Owls’ only led by a single point with less than a minute remaining when Ingram made his only three-pointer of the game to push the Owls’ lead back out to four with 41 seconds remaining. Mercer pulled to within two later, but FAU made its last five free throw attempts to seal the victory.

Both teams struggled offensively early, but FAU was able to take a 14-8 lead at the midway point of the first half and led 29-19 at the half.

GameBrowser: FAU (7-2) 68, Mercer (4-5) 64

Moving Forward: In addition to his 22 points, Ingram led the Owls with eight rebounds. It was Ingram’s sixth 20-point game of the year. …Starting at point guard for the first time this season, Richardson Maitre had five rebounds, two steals and an assist to go along with his 14 points. …Jaylen Sebree registered eight points, six assists, two rebounds and a steal in his first career start.

Moving Backward: Concerns continue to mount with forward Xavian Stapleton’s injured knee. He didn’t play for the second consecutive game, and while publicly May says Stapleton’s is being evaluated on a game-by-game basis, there is concern that the starter may have played his final game. …Starting center Karlin Silins didn’t score a point or grab a rebound in 12 minutes of play. …Starting guard Anthony Adger made only two of his 11 shots. …Replaced by Maitre in the starting lineup, Michael Forrest had as many points as he did turnovers – three.

Key Stat: 20 – Turnovers committed by Mercer. FAU turned the ball over 18 times, including eight by Ingram.

Up Next: FAU doesn’t take the court again until Dec. 14 at Arkansas State.



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