A poor first half removed any chance of a second-consecutive Owls victory over a Power 5 conference team, sending FAU to a 76-56 loss at Miami.
In their first action since defeating Ohio St. 10 days prior, FAU made only six field goals in the first half, allowing Miami to take a 39-24 lead at halftime.
Miami quickly pushed the lead to 20 points once the second half began and led by at least that much the remainder of the way.
Marcus Neely came off the bench to lead FAU with 12 points. Adonis Filer followed with 11, as FAU’s bench outscored the starters 30-26.
The loss was FAU’s last opportunity to knock of a Power 5 team this season. The Owls play Webber International and Florida Gulf Coast before beginning Conference USA play on New Year’s Eve against Western Kentucky.
GameBrowser: Miami (8-2) 76, FAU (3-6) 56
Moving Forward: FAU made 15-of-18 (83 percent) of its free throws. …Guard Justin Massey transferred back to FAU following a semester at Brown. He became eligible once FAU’s fall semester grades posted. Massey didn’t score and tallied an assist, steal and rebound. …Nine of Adonis Filer’s 11 points came in the first half. Filer didn’t miss any of his four free throws.
Moving Backward: FAU shot only 1-of-7 from behind the three point line in the first half. On the night the Owls only made three of them. …Miami out-rebounded FAU 48-29. …Jeantal Cylla went 0-for-4 from the field, scoring only three points. …Nick Rutherford, the hero at Ohio St., had the same scoring line as Cylla.
Key Stat: 24 – percent shooting for FAU in the first half. The Owls shot 33 percent for the game.
Up Next: The Owls play Webber International on Wednesday in The Burrow to open a run of five consecutive home games. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
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