BOCA RATON – Still a week and a half shy February, Groundhog Day may already be upon FAU.
Returning to Boca following a brief trip to Texas, the Florida Atlantic Owls (5-12, 1-5) wasted a second half rally and lost their third straight game in heartbreaking fashion to William Lee and the UAB Blazers (12-7, 5-1) 80-78.
FAU jumped out to a 9-0 run at the start of the second half after ending the first 20 minutes down 41-32. The Owls took their first lead of the game when Jeantal Cylla’s falling three-point shot and Adonis Filer’s layup came in shot succession.
Like other close games this year, however, the Owls couldn’t keep the opposition away. UAB proceeded to go on a 10-0 run, holding the Owls off for the remainder of the second half.
The sense of deja vu isn’t lost on third-year coach Michael Curry after another defeat where the team was close in the final minutes. However, Curry’s desire to come away on top hasn’t been dampened by these close losses.
“For me, I want to win right now – I want to win yesterday – but I also understand as we’re going through the process,” Curry said.
Losers of both games on their Texas trip, the Owls fell behind early despite 20 of their 32 points in the first-half coming off the bench. Cylla had all of his 13 points in the second half with sniper Gerdarius Troutman adding 13 in the final 20 minutes.
A four-point play from Troutman made the score 78-75 with 36.7 seconds left, but FAU was unable to foul. Chris Cokley sank a jumper with 7.2 seconds left on the clock, giving UAB a five-point advantage that not even another Troutman three with 0.2 seconds left on the clock could overcome.
Finishing 6-of-11 behind the line, Troutman led all scorers with 21 points, 18 of which were a result of three-pointers made.
“Gerdarius has always been able to shoot the basketball and he’s been much, much better defensively lately,” Curry said. “He’s having a big impact and he’s been able to shoot the basketball. He’s had three games with at least six threes and some guys don’t have that for a career.”
Even with their second half rally, FAU led for only 43 seconds.
Game Browser: UAB 80, FAU 78
Moving Forward: William Pfister avoided foul trouble with only one foul. …The Owls avoided turnovers, committing only 10 to UAB’s 17.
Moving Backward: The Owls again struggled from behind the arc, making three of their 14 three-point attempts. …Frank Booker was scoreless in his 12 minutes. …The Owls allowed four Blazers to score in double-digits…FAU was out-rebounded 33-25.
Key Stat: 53.8 – percentage of three-pointers made by UAB.
Up Next: FAU will conclude their brief two-game homestand with a Saturday night throwdown against Middle Tennessee, but that’s not the only reason fans should attend. Not only will the women’s softball team receive their Conference USA championship rings prior to the game, but there will be a ‘Brew Night at The Burrow’ starting at 5:30 p.m., featuring local craft beers. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
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