After a pair of road game losses, the Owls returned home to The Burrow to face conference foe the Ragin’ Cajuns of University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Owls responded to their two-game skid by putting on a show in a 76-72 Sun Belt Conference victory.
The Owls (13-12) seemed to have a comfortable lead, but the ULL (11-13) offense began to click and make a comeback. However, FAU’s defense improved when it mattered, which was an improvement from last week’s road games.”Defense has been the main thing in practice all week,” said Ray Taylor. “Last week we had a tough road trip. We went 0-2 because we had no defense. So, coming back home we knew we had to play tough defense, especially down the stretch.”
Taylor was injured late in the game after being unintentionally hit in the nose with five minutes left to play, a critical stretch as the game was still close.
With Taylor benched, Sanchez Hughley sparked the offense, scoring on a layup to give the Owls a 70-69 lead with 1:39 left in the game. He then stole the ball and scored another basket to push the lead to 3. But ULL forward Randell Daigle tied the game at 72 with 54 seconds left in regulation.
FAU would respond, and once again it was done by Hughley. The 6’4 guard sunk another basket to give FAU the lead, and to seal the deal, Hughley launched a full-court pass to Brett Royster, who took it in for the game-winning slam dunk.
Sanchez closed the day with 13 points and 2 assists.
“As the season [has] progressed, we’ve learned to trust Sanchez,” said Taylor.
FAU guard Alex Tucker also enjoyed a good night, finishing the game with 12 points and six assists. Tucker was 4-7 on field goals.”[Tucker] had a great game, and that helps players like Sanchez to come up with big plays, whether it’s a basket or a defensive steal or the home-run pass,” said FAU head coach Mike Jarvis.
FAU guard Greg Gantt had the most productive day, leading all scorers with 23 points by going 9-12 on field goals and 3-4 on 3-pointers.
“My teammates did a great job of getting me open, setting up the screens and giving me the confidence to make those shots,” said Gantt.
The Owls will now take a few days off before traveling to Miami to take on rival FIU on Feb. 18.
