Straddled with a poor first-half performance, the Owls (16-7, 8-1) were unable to overcome their mistakes, falling to Western Kentucky (9-11, 4-4) 57-53 at The Burrow in a conference match on Saturday. The loss snapped FAU’s eight-game winning streak.
“It was fun while it lasted,” said guard Ray Taylor. “I mean the last time we lost was on Dec. 22. So for us not to lose in that long period of time lets us know that we have a very promising end of the season.”
The loss came with the Owls shooting 36.1 percent on the night. FAU’s 3-pointers failed to find the net for much of the night. Regardless, the Owls were shooting for the lead late in the game.
“Like I told the guys: The bad news is we lost and we really didn’t play our A-game,” said head coach Mike Jarvis. “The good news: We still had a chance to win.”
While the overall poor play lent itself to the Owls’ struggles, the fact that FAU still had possibilities to win the game allowed the players to look on the bright side.
“It’s probably what we needed, especially going to the end of the season, so we don’t get too high of ourselves,” said Taylor. “We realize we still can get better. We’re not the best we can be. There’s so much opportunity for us to learn.”
Late in the game, Western Kentucky’s Juan Pattillo missed a 3, but his teammate Sergio Kerusch leaped over FAU’s front-court to slam home the missed shot. That play put FAU down 53-48 with 1:07 left. It was a crippling basket to the Owls’ chances of a comeback.
Despite the poor play and subsequent loss, the result did little to damper Jarvis’ confidence.
“We still got a heck of a record,” said Jarvis. “We’re still in first place.”
Note:
Ray Taylor’s Mom: With 17 minutes remaining in the second half, FAU’s Alex Tucker leaped out of bounds to get a ball, flying over the heads of fans sitting court-side, including nearby teammate Ray Taylor’s mother. As the ball came up to Mrs. Taylor, she picked it up and whipped it furiously at the back of Western Kentucky’s Sergio Kerusch.
Two cops later came to speak with her, though she was permitted to stay for the duration of the game, presumably with the provision that she stop throwing basketballs at other players.
