After nineteen straight road losses, Owls pick up big win against American

Florida Atlantic saw a nineteen game road losing streak come to an end this afternoon defeating the Eagles of American University 81-69 in Washington, DC.

The win is FAU’s first road win since defeating Troy 99-93 on February 27, 2007.

The Owls improve to 2-1 on the year, while American drops to 0-4.

Head Coach Mike Jarvis, who was back on his old stomping grounds, was happy for the win, but is still expecting more from his young squad.

“Anytime you win on the road, a twelve point win is a 12 point win. It should have been twenty-plus, but we’ll take it. I hope the guys continue to learn from everything we do. We can’t play one half and think we are going to beat some of the teams we play”, said Jarvis.

After a sloppy start by both teams, the Owls pulled ahead 10-5 on a free throw by Sanchez Hughley midway through the first half.

Poor free throw shooting by the Jaspers, and a string of threes by guards Shavar Richard, Greg Gantt, and Ray Taylor allowed FAU take a 36-20 lead at the break. Taylor hit his just before the buzzer sounded.

Pushing the pace, the Owls extended their lead to a game high 22 points, only to it dwindle to eight after a 14-1 run by the Eagles.

FAU managed to push the lead back to 12 with under 5:00 to play but the Eagles showed their claws once again while pulling to within four with only 1:10 left.

Ray Taylor, who had missed a pair of free throws that enabled the Eagles closure, went back to the line to hit four straight from the charity stripe.

That put the game out of reach.

FAU employed consistent defensive pressure to keep the Eagles from getting comfortable in their half court offense. But it wasn’t without some repercussion as Brett Royster fouled-out midway through the second period.

Justin Davis saw his first minutes as an Owl, but was limited and picked up four fouls.

Sanchez Hughley (pictured) picked up his first career double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds. Ray Taylor and Greg Gantt added 14 points each.

The Owls shot a season high 50% from beyond the three point line to that of 21% for the Eagles. FAU also had a decisive advantage in rebounds (47-37).

Stephen Lumpkin led American with 23 points and nine rebounds.

The team now moves on to game three of a four game road stretch, and will next face Manhattan College on Monday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00PM EST.

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