Two much to ask
Florida Atlantic couldn't build momentum from Saturday's victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, falling to New Orleans 75-68.
Originally published on
2/5/2009
by
Chuck King
Florida Atlantic’s quest for its second two-game winning streak of the season proved to be too tough in the Big Easy as the Owls fell to the University of New Orleans 75-68 at Lakefront Arena on Thursday.
The Owls followed their first win in 14 games with a sloppy performance that included 19 turnovers.
“You can not win on the road turning the ball over,” said FAU coach Mike Jarvis. “We had 19 turnovers and I don’t think one of them was forced.”
FAU (5-19, 1-11 Sun Belt) trailed by 12 points late in the second half before the Owls launched what has become their customary late-game run.
Paul Graham’s banked 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining trimmed the Privateers’ lead to 65-61. Alex Tucker had the opportunity to bring FAU within two points shortly thereafter but missed the front end of a one-and-one.
New Orleans (10-13, 5-7) opened the lead to eight points before Shavar Richardson’s free throws brought the lead back down to four with a little more than half a minute remaining. The Owls never got any closer.
“You cannot relax for one minute when you play this game,” Jarvis said. “Unfortunately, no matter what our record is, some guys haven’t learned that.”
The lead ping-ponged between both teams throughout the first half, which featured 14 lead changes and six ties. New Orleans’ three-point halftime lead was the largest of the half.
Brett Royster followed his perfect shooting night against Louisiana-Lafayette by going 8-for-9 from the field. Royster and Graham led the Owls with 17 points apiece. Shavar Richardson added 12 and Chris Watson had 10. Watson missed a double-double by one rebound.
GAME REWIND
Slam dunk: Guard Chris Watson, normally a slasher, drained three early mid-range jumpers. …Chris Coleman missed his career-high by a point by scoring seven vs. UNO. … Alex Tucker had five assists in the first half.
Off the rim: FAU, the best free throw shooting team in the Sun Belt, made only six of their 14 attempts. ...Watson’s second-half dunk attempt ended up wedged between the rim and the backboard – he did draw the foul. …The Owls drained one 3-pointer in the first half.
From the box score: FAU coach Mike Jarvis was so upset with the Owls’ sloppy play that he sent rarely-used guard Nick Gagel onto the court midway through the second half. Gagel usually sees the floor only during mop-up time, but
Up next: FAU returns home to play host to Troy on Saturday at 7 p.m. as the second part of a women’s/men’s doubleheader.
Final shot: There are two things Jarvis really hates – turnovers and missed free throws. The Owls offered both tonight. FAU was able to stay close to the shorthanded Privateers despite the poor play. They won’t be close with a similar effort Saturday against Troy.