After going 2-0 in the tournament, the Owls fell to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the Boca Beach Classic Hall of Fame Championship, 72-64.

In a mixture of FAU’s poor shot selection and critical defensive errors, St. Bonaventure rallied in the second half, scoring 46 points on 57 percent shooting. 

The Bonnies also hit six of their eight three-pointers in the second half, including a late three-pointer by guard Kyle Lofton, who hit a deep three to extend the Bonnies lead to four with just 48 seconds remaining.

Lofton, who was named to the Boca Beach Classic all-tournament team, finished the game with 14 points, including 12 points in the second half.

The Owls struggled in the closing minutes of the first half, where they were held scoreless for the final four minutes to the end of the game.

In the second half, the Owls shot just 33 percent from the field and only hit three of their 13 three-pointers. In the final minute, the Owls missed four shots, including two layups.

“We only have so many timeouts, so we’re still adjusting and learning,” FAU head coach Dusty May said about the shot selection in the second half. “We got to the rim a few times and when those didn’t drop, I thought it allowed them to extend their defense and protect the three-point line.”

Senior guard Cornelius Taylor led the Owls with 14 points, all of which came in the second half of the game. Taylor also added three rebounds and an assist. Like Lofton, Taylor was also named to the all-tournament team.

“I thought he played well,” May said of Taylor. “I thought he took what the game gave him early on. He drove and made some nice kicks and gave us some wide-open shots. Then in the second half, he’s an explosive scorer, that’s what he’s done every single game.”

Forward Jaylin Ingram, who continues to recover from an ACL injury that ended his 2018 season, finished the game with 12 points but struggled to score consistently, hitting just three of his 11 field goal attempts.

Following the game, May said that he’s beginning to see glimpses of pre-injury Ingram, who averaged 19 points per game before the injury. 

“I saw glimpses of it yesterday. We talked about it after film that he had a little bit of pop and some explosiveness and the ball was right there and didn’t drop,” May said. “I thought the same thing today, I thought he got to his spots that he’s comfortable at and like I said, I think in one month from now, we’re going to be able to get him to those spots and that ball is going to drop.” 

Kevin Fielder is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @TheKevinFielder.