Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
East Tennessee State
Owls Suffer First Conference Loss, 63-61, to ETSU
1/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2006
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - A last-second three-pointer by junior Kevin Green just missed its mark as the Florida Atlantic men's basketball team suffered its first Atlantic Sun Conference defeat of the season on Wednesday, 63-61, against East Tennessee State University at the Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tenn.
Green's shot would have given the Owls (4-7, 3-1 A-Sun) the win on a night in which they dominated the glass, 38-24, to help them overcome an 11-point first-half deficit. FAU fell behind, 20-9, at the 10:20 mark of the first half and slowly chipped away to pull within three, 32-29, at the break.
An outstanding effort by senior forward Rodney Webb with nine points and six rebounds, including four offensive, kept the Owls in the game in the first half. Webb connected on all five of his free throw attempts in the half, and FAU collected 10 offensive boards among its 22 rebounds heading into the lockerrooms.
The second half was the DeAndre Rice show for the third straight game. Rice dumped in 15 points after the break and sparked a 15-7 run with seven points and two assists, as the Owls claimed a 51-46 lead with 11:48 remaining.
FAU maintained its lead until a 6-0 spurt put ETSU (4-6, 1-2 A-Sun) on top, 61-56, with 2:40 remaining, setting the stage for Green's dramatic shot as time expired.
Rice, who has averaged 17 points in second half of the last three games, finished the night with a game-high 23 points and distributed five assists. Webb totaled 15 points and eight rebounds.
Fred Marshall took game honors with 11 rebounds. Green contributed five points, five assists and four rebounds, while Brent Crews had nine points and four rebounds.
"We had great effort out on the court tonight," stated head coach Matt Doherty after the game. "We executed offensively and defensively, and our guys really handled the environment (of the Memorial Center dome) quite well. We simply came up one or two shots short of the win."
FAU's defense proved strong, limiting Tim Smith, who averages better than 22 points per game, to just 15 points on 6-14 shooting. Smith connected on a half-hook three-pointer as the clock expired in the first half that broke a 29-29 tie.
FAU is back in conference action on Saturday as the Owls host Mercer at 2:00 p.m. at FAU Arena. The game will be part of day-night doubleheader that concludes with a women's game against Stetson at 7:00 p.m.
