FAU men’s basketball (6-5) continued their season in Richmond, VA. with a 66-46 loss against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) (7-4) on Wednesday night. 

“The physicality bothered us, and the pressing, and the trapping,” head coach Dusty May said.

The Owls started off slowly, going down 12-2 in the first six minutes of the game.

VCU, on the other hand, came out strong, shooting 53% from the field with over seven minutes left in the first half.

FAU cut the deficit down to six by halftime, despite going 32% from the field. FAU also had trouble handling the ball, turning it over 16 times throughout the period.

“For us to turn the ball over, as many times as we did the first half and only be down six, it was a credit to how hard our guys were competing despite how poorly we were playing,” May said.

The Rams kept the lead at halftime by shooting 41% from the field. Their defense also helped them by getting nine steals from the Owls.

FAU started the second half well, scoring five straight points. In retaliation, VCU fired back, going 5-5 from the field after four minutes into the period.

Graduate guard Everett Winchester fouled out of the game with three minutes left. FAU’s struggles continued when freshman guard Johnell Davis went down grabbing his wrist in the final minutes.

“I think it’s a minor injury, I’m not sure yet, I haven’t spoken to the trainer. [For Johnell], I thought he competed and brought out a high level of energy to this game. He made an open shot and then said something to their bench and got a technical which was just disappointing, but I do think he gave a consistent effort,” May said.

FAU’s 5-23 shooting beyond the arc along with 25 total turnovers ultimately cost them the game.

“When we did get good looks, we were just out of rhythm. We don’t really have the post presence right now to not shoot threes and rely on the perimeter,” May said.

Freshman guard Alijah Martin led the Owls with 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Sophomore guard Bryan Greenlee contributed with six points, four steals, three assists, and two rebounds.

Senior guard Keshawn Curry led the Rams with 13 points and two steals. Freshman guard Jayden Nunn helped out with nine points, four steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Freshman forward Jalen DeLoach added nine points of his own, going a perfect 4-4 from the field while getting two rebounds and two blocks.

The Owls will play their next game in the Burrow at Abessinio Court against Florida Tech on Friday, Dec. 17 at 7:00 p.m. It will be broadcast on C-USA TV.

Angel Rassi is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @arassi2000.