FAU guard Jackson Trapp takes a shot against Arkansas State on Saturday. (Owl Access Photo)

Bouncing back

After dropping its Sun Belt opener on Thursday vs. South Alabama, FAU rebounds with a solid 72-65 victory vs. Arkansas State on Saturday at The Burrow.

Originally published on 12/1/2012

by Alyssa Barbieri

BOCA RATON – Florida Atlantic didn’t begin Sun Belt Conference play the way they hoped to in a disappointing loss to South Alabama last Thursday.

It was a different story on Saturday as the Owls defeated the Red Wolves 72-65 at the Burrow for their first Sun Belt victory of the season.

“After a bad loss it usually isn’t as bad as you thought, and after a good win it’s usually not as great as you thought,” said Owls coach Mike Jarvis.

The Owls (3-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) won a physical battle against the Red Wolves by playing two consistent halves of basketball and gelling at the right time.

After trailing 33-30 at halftime, FAU went on an 11-3 run in the second half to build on its first big lead of the game. They led for most of the second half and were able to ward off runs by the Red Wolves and hold on for their first Sun Belt victory of the season.

With about six minutes remaining, ASU regained a lead it hadn’t had since the early minutes of the second half. But the Owls responded with defensive pressure and some clutch shooting from leading scorer Greg Gantt.

Gantt, who tied a career-high 29 points, scored 13 points in the final five minutes.

Stefan Moody once again provided a spark off the bench for the Owls. The freshman guard scored 22 points, which tied a season-high set against Elon back on Nov. 18. He also showed off his dunking skills early in the second half to a chorus of cheers at the Burrow.

“They were trying to take me away a lot and they forgot about (Moody),” Gantt said.

Heading into Saturday’s game, ASU was second in the Sun Belt averaging 73.5 points per game, while the Owls were averaging 60.2 points.

Red Wolves guard Ed Townsel, who came into the game averaging 17 points per game, was held to five points.

FAU freshman guard Jackson Trapp continued to impress at the point. He had eight points, six assists and six rebounds for the Owls.

GameBrowser: Owls 72, Red Wolves 65

• Moving Forward:  G Greg Gantt was 3-of4 from beyond the arc and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. ...The victory was the 55th at FAU for coach Mike Jarvis, who passed former FAU coach Sidney Green as the coach with most victories since the Owls moved to Division I in 1994. ...The Owls are 4-0 vs. Arkansas State at The Burrow.
• Moving Backward: Four Arkansas State player scored in double figures. ...The Owls committed 14 turnovers. ...FAU averted disaster after C Dragan Sekelja and F Jordan McCoy both picked up their fourth fouls.
• Key Stat: Gantt (29) and G Stefan Moody (22) combined for 51 of FAU's 72 points.
• Up Next: The Owls travel to face Stetson at 7 p.m Thursday
   

Discuss this story in our message boards

Bookmark this article: