Owls Come Up Short Against Pirates

Sunday, February 1

Boca Raton, Fla.

2 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

14-9,6-4American

East Carolina

7-15,2-7American

East Carolina

Fla. Atlantic

Photo by: Keira Arimenta

2/1/2026 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ben Paul

BOCA RATON, Fla. – In a game that came down to the final buzzer, the Florida Atlantic men's basketball team fell to East Carolina by a score of 76-75 on Sunday afternoon at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

Strong second-half performances from sophomore guard Isaiah Elohim and freshman guard Josiah Parker put the Owls (14-9, 6-4) in position to win, but six lead changes in the final four minutes ended in the Pirates' (7-15, 2-7) favor. A missed free throw by ECU ended up in the hands of Elohim, whose final shot attempt at the buzzer came up short.

FIRST HALF
Redshirt sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool drilled his first three shot attempts for eight points and scored 11 in the opening 10 minutes. The Owls built a 12-point advantage before the Pirates responded to take the lead.

Vanterpool's fourth triple of the half came with a minute left to regain a one-point advantage before late free throws by ECU sent the Owls into the locker room trailing 38-36.

SECOND HALF
Florida Atlantic took the lead right back with two straight scores inside by Elohim. The Owls found success inside, with their first seven field goals of the final period coming from the paint.

Trailing by three, a three-point play at the rim from Parker made it 65-64 with over four minutes left, with an Elohim free throw soon after tying the game at 65. The Owls made a stop defensively, and Elohim drilled the three-pointer from the left corner to go up three with three-and-a-half minutes left on the clock.

The Pirates tied it with a triple of their own at the shot clock buzzer and scored to take the lead on the following possession. The two teams traded buckets, with Elohim hitting another from beyond the arc to take a 75-74 lead as 27 seconds remained on the clock. A foul on the Owls put East Carolina at the line to regain the lead.

FAU drew a foul of its own on the other end but could not convert the one-and-one opportunity. A missed Pirates free throw gave the Owls one last shot attempt at the buzzer that fell short.

PRESS CONFERENCE

GALLERY

Gallery: (2-1-2026) MBB vs. East Carolina

STATS & NOTES

Elohim set his collegiate career high with 20 points, 13 of them coming in the second half.
Parker finished with 15 points, scoring 13 in the second.
Redshirt sophomore forward Devin Williams, who entered the day ranked No. 3 nationally in blocks, finished with four. He also hauled in a team-best nine rebounds.
As a team, the Owls dished out 20 assists for the third time in American play this season.
Florida Atlantic outshot East Carolina from the field, 50.9% to 42.6%.

UP NEXT
FAU remains at the Elly to host Tulsa on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things FAU men's basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.

Florida Atlantic's 205-26 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.