FAU guard Cavon Baker has trouble vs. North Carolina defenders on Sunday.
Starting slow
Florida Atlantic falls to No. 11 North Carolina 80-56 in the Owls' opening game of the season on Sunday.
Originally published on
11/11/2012
by
Marcus Nelson
Florida Atlantic's season opening game on Sunday against North Carolina is technically part of the Maui Invitational even though it was played in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Owls' matchup vs. the No. 11 Tar Heels was billed as the "Maui on the Mainland" portion of the tournament, but it was no vacation for FAU as it lost 80-56.
The Owls (0-1) trailed just 32-24 at halftime, but FAU had no answer for North Carolina center James Michael McAdoo, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
“Overall I just thought we were going to be a lot more competitive for 40 minutes,” FAU coach Mike Jarvis told FAU play-by-play announcer Ken Lavicka on ESPN 760 after the game. “We were competitive for parts of the game. That's not good enough.”
FAU freshman point guard Stefan Moody struggled in his debut, scoring eight points but committed six turnovers and only had one assist.
Senior guard Greg Gantt led the Owls with 18 points.
FAU center Dragan Sekelja had nine points, but only two rebounds in his FAU debut. The 7-footer sat out last season after transferring from Baylor.
“Dragan's got a big load to carry over and is probably trying to do too much,” Jarvis said.
Owl Analysis: No. 11 North Carolina 80, FAU 56
- Moving Forward: FAU freshman guard Cavon Baker had a better day running the point than starter Stefan Moody, dishing out three assists. ...Forward Jordan McCoy had 10 rebounds.
- Moving Backward: The Owls had 17 turnovers, including six by Moody, who was playing in his first college game. ...FAU shot 27.9 percent from the field.
- Key Stat: FAU was outrebounded 56-36
- Up Next: The Owls return to the site of one of their biggest victories in school history when they travel to Starkville, Miss. to face Mississippi State on Tuesday in another game part of the Maui Invitational.