Florida Atlantic leads for 33 seconds but rallies for win over Rice in AAC basketball

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Baba Miller also scored 12 points, pulled down 9 rebounds and blocked 3 shots during FAU’s win over Rice on Sunday.

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic led for only 33 seconds of Sunday’s American Athletic Conference battle of the Owls. But they were the most important 33 seconds of the day.

Baba Miller’s clutch free throws in the final seconds helped FAU overcome a 16-point second-half deficit to defeat Rice, 75-73.

With the score tied at 73, Miller was fouled underneath the basket with 2.2 seconds left. His free throws capped a 12-2 run to give FAU (10-9, 3-3) the win over Rice (11-8, 2-4).

Miller finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Tre Carroll led the way for Florida Atlantic with 17 points. He also added 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Rice forward Jacob Dar led all scorers with 19 points.

FAU snapped its two-game losing streak and will have a week off before a Jan. 26 matchup at North Texas.

“My guys, man, they’re going to give me a heart attack,” FAU coach John Jakus said. “[It] feels good to be on the right end of this one.”

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Here are three takeaways from the FAU victory:

FAU overcomes steep second-half deficit

FAU was down by as much as 11 in the first half, but managed to cut the deficit to five at halftime. However, a 16-5 run by Rice coming out of the half saw Florida Atlantic facing an ever steeper 59-43 deficit with 13:30 remaining. Despite the large hole to climb out of it, the home team continued to chip away at Rice’s advantage until finally taking the lead back with two seconds remaining.

“Coach Jakus believes in us,” Carroll said regarding the comeback victory. “His mind, and how to play the game, it’s just something that really helped us.”

Miller’s free throws gave FAU its first lead since holding a 7-6 advantage early in the first half. Jakus noted the importance of staying sharp early in the game to avoid large deficits.

“I hope…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-atlantic-leads-33-seconds-125741285.html

Author : Palm Beach Daily News

Publish date : 2025-01-20 12:57:00

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