Florida Atlantic men’s basketball (14-11, 6-6) lost to the Rice Owls (11-14, 5-7) 81-73 for the first time in eight years at the Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas. FAU had a weeklong bye, but their losing streak continues to grow, reaching five straight losses for the first time since 2018.
Even with the loss, FAU leads the all-time series 8-5. The last time Rice defeated FAU was on Feb. 22, 2018, in the Elly. FAU was without its leading scorer, guard Kanaan Carlyle, for the second consecutive game.
FAU started slowly in the first half and failed to recover in the second. Guard Josiah Parker led the game with 25 points, scoring 21 in the second half.
“There wasn’t [any] good in the last five minutes. We got to 66 to 66, and they [Rice] scored five straight possessions…They had a couple of guys take our guys one-on-one, rise up, and take shots. Down the stretch, we were not able to do the same thing,” said FAU Head Coach John Jakus, postgame.
FAU won the tip-off, and guard Niccolo Moretti made a layup to score the first points of the game. However, Rice guard Cam Carroll answered right back with a jump shot. The game quickly became a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading baskets.
After guard Isaiah Elohim made a jump shot to give FAU the 8-7 lead, Rice went on an 11-3 run to take an 18-11 lead. The run was highlighted by Rice guard Trae Broadnax’s back-to-back three-point shots.
Parker made a layup to stop Rice’s momentum, but two bad passes from guard Amar Amkou and Moretti helped Rice take a 26-15 lead, their first double-digit lead of the night.
Once again, Parker stopped Rice’s momentum. This time, with a tip-in layup, which jump-started a 7-0 run to make the score 26-22 with under eight minutes remaining in the first half.
For the next 2 1/2 minutes, the two teams traded baskets and reached a stalemate. A stalemate that didn’t last long as Rice pulled away with a 9-1 run. Two more turnovers from Elohim and Moretti gave Rice two extra buckets down the stretch of the first half.
At halftime, Rice led FAU 40-27. Elohim led the team with nine points, and Broadnax led Rice with 10 points. FAU’s story of the first half was turnovers, and they turned over the ball eight times to Rice’s one, giving Rice seven extra possessions.
“The thing that killed us more than the press was the turnovers,” Jakus said. “We had 18 points of turnovers, that is almost two points for every turnover. That’s just way too high for us. So, the way they flipped the floor on us was probably more damaging than the press itself.”
In the second half, Rice guard Nick Anderson scored the first points of the second half. Elohim scored from underneath the basket, ending an FAU four-minute and 47-second scoring drought.
Every time FAU tried to make a run, Rice answered right away, preventing any momentum from shifting. Five minutes into the half, Elohim scored 10 of FAU’s 14 points to help cut down the deficit to single digits.
Once again, Rice held FAU back, extending their lead for three more minutes. FAU went on an 8-0 scoring run that helped them get within one possession. Before the run started, Parker made a basket while being fouled for a three-point play.
With nine minutes remaining, the score was 60-57. From here on out, both teams started scoring with ease; they continued trading baskets, and although FAU tied the game a few times, the Owls never took the lead. With three minutes remaining, the score was 73-71.
Parker stepped up in this stretch, scoring 20 points in the second half with multiple three-point plays. However, that was not enough as Rice guard Jalen Smith scored five unanswered points to force a 78-71 lead.
FAU made a pair of free throws, but Rice went on to win 81-73. Anderson led Rice with 23 points, sealing FAU’s fifth straight loss.
FAU will return home to face its in-state conference rival, the USF Bulls, at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on Sunday, Feb. 15; tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Morgan Larkins is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information on this and other stories, email him at [email protected].
