Men’s Basketball Loses to FIU 66-59

Saturday, February 8

Boca Raton, Fla.

4 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

14-11, 6-6

FIU

17-8, 8-4

FIU

Florida Atlantic

2/8/2020 7:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team fell victim to a strong second half from FIU in a 66-59 loss on Saturday.

The Owls (14-11, 6-6 Conference USA) and Panthers (17-8, 8-4 C-USA) went back-and-forth in the early going, with neither team leading by more than three points through the game's first 10 minutes. The score was tied 20-20 when the Owls reeled off a 19-5 run to take a 39-25 lead. Karlis Silins registered nine points during the run. A late FIU basket made the score 39-27 at the half.

FIU steadily narrowed the gap in the second half, eventually leveling the score 51-51 with 9:22 to play. There were three more ties and a lead change before Aleksandar Zecevic made a bucket in the lane, giving FAU a 59-58 edge at the 4:43 mark. The Panthers forced three turnovers, closing on an 8-0 run to take the game.

Notables

Silins had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead the Owls in both categories
Cornelius Taylor scored 10 points and recorded a career-high seven steals on his Senior Day
FAU's other celebrated senior, Zecevic, posted nine points and five rebounds in 18 minutes of action
The Owls forced 22 FIU turnovers on Saturday, the most against any Division I FAU opponent this season

Quotable

FAU Head Coach Dusty May
"We got stagnant, didn't move the ball well at pivotal times, and just didn't play as well in the second half as we did in the first."

What's Next
FAU travels to Southern Miss on Thursday, Feb. 13. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, live stats will be available at fausports.com, and the game can be heard on FOX Sports 640AM. Live updates will be posted to the team's official Twitter account, @FAU_Hoops.