The Owls’ lack of size continues to haunt them. FAU lost its eighth straight game and fell to 0-5 in the Sun Belt, the 13-team conference’s only winless member.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers moved to 4-1 in the Sun Belt as they handled the Owls 78-57 at the FAU Arena.

Coach Mike Jarvis summed it up perfectly: “There are two categories in basketball, normally you want to see who won the game and by how much. The second is assessing rebounds and the assist to turnover [ratio]. They kicked our butt in both categories.”

The Owls were out rebounded 49-31 and outscored in the paint 42-16. It didn’t help that Western Kentucky guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez nailed five three-pointers and led the Hilltoppers with 21 points.

It was a rather close game in the first half as the Owls led for a good portion of the half. However, WKU ended the first half with a 31-27 lead, and came out firing in the second half and never looked back.

The Owls’ play became rather sloppy in the second half as their desperation became obvious. However a bright spot for the Owls was the senior leadership of guard Carderro Nwoji. He led all scorers with 22.
“I just wanted to win,” said a clearly frustrated Nwoji.

The Owls, who have dropped 12 of their last 13, look to bounce back Thursday as they take on rival Florida International (7-12, 1-4), who are dealing with struggles of their own. The game at the FAU Arena is the annual “Bury the Burrow” game.