It was a game of clutch three-pointers and scrappy defense for the FAU Owls Tuesday as they defeated the North Florida Ospreys 70-64.
Four different Owls contributed solid three-point shots throughout the game. FAU was led by speedster Carderro Nwoji, who made five threes on his way to 17 points including a clutch fader from the top of the key to put the Owls up 63-60 with three minutes on the clock.
“We’ve been doing a lot of 30-60-90,” said Carlos Monroe, who scored 25 points despite struggling immensely from the free-throw line. “All around the world. We shoot three-pointers for thirty seconds, sixty seconds, then ninety seconds. We have a lot more confidence. It carries over from practice to the game.”
Combined with a defense unwilling to give up on any loose ball, the Owls (3-7) led confidently until the last six minutes of the game. Derrick Simmons, played hard on the baseline with Sean Alarcon, shining at the end of the game with two crucial takeaways that literally added up to the Owl’s victory. With the Owl’s leading 60-58 and 66-64, Alarcon intercepted two passes with gutsy all-out effort switching the momentum away from gaining Osprey charges.
“The kid does everything you ask him to,” said Coach Rex Walters. “We need to have seven guys (like that). He’s a great team defender.”
Despite a steady lead throughout the game that only faltered slightly in the waning minutes, Coach Walters was not pleased. “I thought we played horrible,” he said. “It was not a happy locker room. This should not have been a grind-it-out game.”
Even the solid three-point performances were a sign of his team faltering. Talking about his team’s willingness to shoot from the outside, Coach Walters said, “Carlos was on the deep post and they weren’t even looking for him anymore…[Nwoji] was lighting up from the outside and our guys weren’t committed to a good shot. We need to do a better job of coaching and they need to do a better job of listening.”
Much of the late game faltering was due to turnovers – there were 17 FAU turnovers for the game and many were countered by UNF’s own three-point shots. The Osprey’s Tom Hammond’s was responsible for dropping two crucial outside shots including the big three-pointer that evened the score at 58-58 in the late second half – the only time the Owl’s didn’t own the lead.
“We’re real happy our kids fought back in the game,” said UNF (1-8) Coach Matt Kilcullen. “We have to execute though. And we didn’t execute.”The Owls go on a three-game road trip and will be back at the Burrow against South Alabama on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m., which most likely will be the first time that Owls fans will get to see transfer Sammy Hernandez in action.
