March 2, 2006

Final Stats

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Season one under head coach Matt Doherty came to an end just like it started for the Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team - a great effort that ended in a loss.

The Owls fell to Stetson in the Atlantic Sun Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday evening 54-44 at Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tenn. DeAndre Rice scored 13 points to close his junior campaign.

Florida Atlantic shot 16-of-54 (29.6%) from the field and matched its season low for points scored. The Owls had just four assists in the game after having 20 or more in three of the previous four.

The Stetson zone wreaked havoc on the FAU offense, which hit six-of-25 three-pointers (24.0%). The Owls came in as the best three-point shooting club in the A-Sun at 40.7%.

"We couldn't throw the ball in the ocean," Doherty stated after the game. "We have to give them some credit but we had some open looks too. We didn't make shots. I thought that our effort was good but we have to put the ball in the basket.

"We (also) had our chances to run. Their zone slows you down. You have to probe it a little bit, so you end up using a lot of the shot clock. We just had to make shots."

Four seniors closed their careers as Owls. Fred Marshall had five points and seven rebounds; Rodney Webb, nine points and 11 rebounds; and Quinton Young, two points and two rebounds; they were joined by Lamar Moore on the court for the final time.

The Owls trailed throughout the game, leading for the final time 4-2 at the 17:37 mark. In the first half Stetson (14-17) clearly looked like the team that has now won nine consecutive games and 12 of 13, holding FAU to 26.9% (7-of-26) shooting from the field in taking a 31-20 lead at the break.

Florida Atlantic's 20-point first half was the second worst of the season, the worst being a 15-point performance at Stetson on Feb. 12. In this, the rubber match of this season's three-game series, the Owls came to play and so did Stetson, shooting 56.0% in the opening 20 minutes.

"The game at Stetson, we just didn't have the effort. I thought our effort was good tonight. We came back. We didn't hang our heads."

Florida Atlantic trailed by 12 points in the second half but made a push to pull within six 50-44 with 0:51 remaining.

"It was a great season. I told these guys to get through the disappointment quickly because we ought to be proud of our body of work. To have a winning season and to have the best record in the A-Sun that we have ever had. I didn't know what to expect when I took the job and it was better than I anticipated. It was a great experience for me, my family and our staff."

The game was the final tip as a member of the A-Sun for FAU (15-13). The Owls move to the Sun Belt for the 2006-07 season.