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Needing a bucket in the final seconds to win the season opener, the best Florida Atlantic could come up with was a forced 25-footer that clanked off the rim, handing FAU a 60-59 loss to South Florida.
“We had a shot for Gerdarius at the end but it didn’t go down,” FAU coach Michael Curry told the ESPN West Palm postgame show.
FAU had two opportunities in the final minute but couldn’t put the game away. Leading 59-58 and in possession of the ball, Payton Hulsey’s cross-court pass was deflected by USF’s Tulio De Silva off the hands of Jailyn Ingram and out of bounds, turning the ball back over to the Bulls.
Stephan Jiggets runner in the lane on the ensuing possession gave the Bulls all the points they’d need.
FAU still had 11 seconds to either tie or take the lead, but didn’t even try to get the ball to center Ronald Delph, who led FAU with 15 points. Delph’s tip-in with 1:15 remaining gave the Owls a 59-56 lead but the Owls couldn’t score another point.
“There’s a lot of good things that we did,” Curry said. “We’ve got to score better.”
GameBrowser: USF (1-0, 0-0 AAC) 60, FAU (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) 59
Moving Forward: Curry wanted to be a better rebounding team this season. FAU out-rebounded USF 41-34. …Hulsey, a point guard transfer from College of Charleston, came off the bench to score 12 points, grab six rebounds and dole out three assists. …All of 6-foot-9 forward Simeon Lepichev’s seven points came in the first half, but he showed a smooth left-handed three-point shot and the ability to drive the ball. …Delph stayed out of foul trouble, giving FAU 31 solid minutes. …FAU starters were 2-of-18 to start the game before Anthony Adger hit a three-pointer late in the first half.
Moving Backward: FAU’s starters accounted for only 28 of the Owls’ 59. …Starting forward William Pfister didn’t score a point. …Justin Massey was a disaster from the field, missing all six shots, but he did hit 6-of-7 from the line.
Key Stat: 2 – made shots on a combined 15 attempts by Troutman and Ingram, arguably FAU’s two most talented scorers. “They’re going to score and shoot the ball better than that,” Curry said. “It was just a case of us not scoring the ball good enough.”
Up Next: FAU’s home-opener against Edward Waters will be a rare day game. Tip-off on Thursday is set for 11 a.m. to allow students from the Henderson School, located on the campus of FAU, to attend.
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