Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
17-15
Louisiana Tech
20-12
Men’s Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to Louisiana Tech 57-56
3/13/2019 11:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FRISCO, Texas - As it had all season long, the Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team fought hard, but this time, the team came up just short, losing to Louisiana Tech 57-56 at the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday. The Owls record fell to 17-15.
The Start
The Owls came out firing on all cylinders offensively and built a 21-7 lead at the eight-minute mark of the first half. La Tech (20-12) used a 13-6 run to close to within seven, but FAU scored the final seven points of the frame to take a 34-20 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Turning Point
25 seconds into the second half, Michael Forrest made a layup that pushed the Owls' lead to 16. That was the last FAU field goal for almost nine minutes, as the Bulldogs methodically whittled down the deficit, eventually tying the score at 37. Simeon Lepichev scored nine points as part of a 13-6 scoring spurt that gave the Owls a 50-43 lead with six minutes to go in the game.
The Finish
La Tech answered with a 10-2 rally to go up 53-52 with 2:19 remaining. Xavian Stapleton immediately responded with a triple to put FAU ahead 55-53. The Bulldogs tied the score on a layup with a minute to go. FAU came up empty on its next possession and La Tech drew a foul and made both free throws, taking a 57-55 advantage with 11 seconds left. The Owls also drew a foul on their end and had a pair of free throws to tie the game. The first attempt was good, but the second was off and a tip-in attempt also missed, allowing the Bulldogs to take the victory.
Notables
· Xavian Stapleton scored 17 points and added five rebounds.
· Simeon Lepichev posted 13 points.
· Anthony Adger made a pair three-pointers, giving him 89 for the season, the second highest single-season total in FAU history
· The Owls grabbed 35 rebounds in the game. FAU has a school record 1,266 rebounds on the year.
· FAU made six triples on Wednesday night, its total now 279 for the season, another school record.
FAU Head Coach Dusty May
"I was proud of how hard (we) fought and competed…(Louisiana Tech) made one more play than we made."
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