Second half mistakes cost the Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team in a 65-60 loss to Old Dominion on Saturday night.
FAU (6-12, 2-2 C-USA) led by as many as eight in the first half, and led by six at the break. Back-to-back three pointers by D’Andre Johnson gave the Owls a 40-30 lead early in the second half.
The Monarchs (9-9, 3-0 C-USA) stayed in the ball game, aided in part by FAU going cold from the floor. A Johnson jumper put the Owls’ lead back to eight, but ODU went on a 17-4 run to take a 58-53 lead with just under two minutes remaining.
The Owls still trailed by five with 21 seconds left when Pablo Bertone hit his third three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to 62-60. ODU split its next trip to the foul line to give FAU the chance to tie, but a Marquan Botley three-pointer was off the mark and the Monarchs sank a pair of free throws to seal the win.
Justin Raffington led FAU with 15 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double, tying a school record.
The Owls wrap up a three game homestand on Tuesday against Harvard. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday is also Social Media Night at FAU Arena. The first 400 fans to show that they like the official FAU Athletics Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FAUATHLETICS) and follow the official FAU Athletics Twitter account (www.twitter.com/FAUOwlAthletics) will receive a free t-shirt. Live video and live stats of the game will be available at www.fausports.com. The game can also be heard on ESPN 106.3 FM.