BOCA RATON – An inability to consistently win at home rendered FAU a Conference USA bottom dweller last season.
After winning twice as many games on the road, four, as at home in C-USA play last season, Curry set a preseason goal of better play at home as a means to amassing more victories this season.
“I think it’s confidence and the handling of the pressure of playing at home and the pressure of playing in front of their peers,” Curry said. “There’s a lot, for 18- to 22-year-olds, that goes into their mindset of trying to come out and kind of change things.”
When it comes to play in The Burrow this season, FAU is sending mixed signals.
Heading into Thursday’s 7 p.m. tip-off vs. Charlotte, the Owls have a 4-3 home record this season – only win away from matching their overall wins at home last season. Three of those wins, however, came against NAIA foes.
The Owls then lost their first two C-USA home games – albeit to conference leaders Middle Tennessee and UAB. FAU rebounded by winning games against UTEP and UTSA last weekend, both of which were road games.
“I’ve been pleased with our home performance,” Curry said. “This Charlotte game will be a good one.”
With the spring semester in full swing, Curry and the Owls are eager to see what kind of crowd will be in The Burrow this upcoming week.
FAU played in front of sparse crowds in the losses to UAB and MTSU. Both games were played before students returned from Christmas break.
“I’m anxious for our guys to get in front of their student body on Thursday,” Curry said.
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- Ronald Delph’s defensive play has been one of the biggest positives this season. The center currently leads Conference USA in rebounds, averaging 9.3 per game. His 2.1 blocked shots per game is tied for second.
- While many college basketball teams turn their nights on the road into team building activities, all the Owls want to do is watch basketball. After their game Saturday against UTSA, the team headed to AT&T Center to the San Antonio Spurs take on the Denver Nuggets. “We talked a lot about the Spurs motto of, Turn down an open shot for a better shot. Turn down a good shot for a great shot – and how do you develop that and the spacing,” Curry said.
- In an exhilarating win Saturday at UTSA, senior guard Gerdarius Troutman caught fire in the second half, scoring 16 of his 19 points in final 20 minutes. Troutman hit what turned out to be the game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds of a 73-69 victory, then sealed the victory with a couple of free throws.
Around The Conference: There’s a close race brewing for C-USA’s first place spot between Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky, both of which haven’t lost in conference play. The two can only stay undefeated so long, as they play each other in Western Kentucky on Saturday. Florida Atlantic is in the middle of the pack at 2-3, tied for seventh. While that may not sound great, it’s a big leap from dead last in the 14-team league, which is where FAU stood this time last week.
Working Women: The vastly improved Lady Owls began the season 2-1 in C-USA play and 8-6 overall. The team ended a four-game win streak with a 67-53 loss against Rice at home. Danneal Ford scored 12 points, extending her streak to four consecutive games with double digit scoring. Alexis Cowan came off the bench with a season high 11 points and five rebounds. The women head to Texas for a Thursday match-up at UTEP.
Game Of The Week: After winning two straight in Texas, the Owls are back to Boca Raton to play Charlotte later today. With a win the Owls will be .500 in C-USA play for the first time this season. The first 500 fans will receive a free FAU tank top. This will be the first conference game that the Owls play at home with students on campus.
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