The start of the Conference USA era for Florida Atlantic was a tough one. The Owls (4-11) lost to Louisiana Tech (12-3), who came in a 17 point favorite.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-4 lead, forcing FAU head coach Mike Jarvis to call a quick timeout. The move paid off, as Jarvis was able to settle his team – the Owls answered with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game.
Trading baskets for the rest of the half, neither team was able to build a substantial advantage.
The Owls ended the first half trailing by a score of 33-30. Pablo Bertone, a senior guard who entered the game as the leading scorer for Florida Atlantic, had eight points at the half.
During the first half, leading scorer for Louisiana Tech and conference player of the month Raheem Appleby suffered a leg injury, which ruled him out for the remainder of the game. The injury was said to be either his ankle or knee.
The good performance by the Owls in the first half was quickly dismissed as the host team went on a 12-2 run to start the second half to push their lead to 13 points.
Florida Atlantic never recovered from the early Bulldog run, and Louisiana Tech pushed their lead further after two free throws from Alex Hamilton gave them a 20 point lead late in the second half.
The Bulldogs won the game by the same margin, and the 84-64 win improved their record to 12-3 on the season. Florida Atlantic fell to 4-11 on the season, still winless on the road.
In the second of two consecutive road games, FAU will look to bounce back when they face Rice University on Jan. 11.
