Florida Atlantic Pulls Away in Second Half to Hand Men's Basketball an 81-65 Loss at FAU Arena

Boca Raton, Fla. - Freshman Greg Gantt had a career-high 24 points and Florida Atlantic pulled away in the second half for an 81-65 victory over UAlbany on Monday, Nov. 30 at FAU Arena.

Florida Atlantic (3-3) led 52-50 midway through the final period, but then ripped off eight of the game's next 10 points. Gantt, who led his high school team to the Florida Class 5A championship last year, converted after collecting an offensive rebound and then drilled a three-point field goal from left of the key to ignite that run. Gantt, who made 9-of-15 from the field, including five 3-pointers, later nailed another long-range jumper from the left wing for a 62-52 margin.

UAlbany (3-5) closed the gap to six when Tim Ambrose hit a reverse layup and Will Harris finished off a fastbreak. But the Owls, who compete in the Sun Belt Conference and are led by former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis, ended the suspense with five unanswered. Demonte Simpson, who totaled six points and 10 rebounds, scored on the inside and Shavar Richardson made a 3-pointer from the left side.

The Owls, who connected on 7-of-9 from long distance in the second half, made 51.7 percent overall on 31-of-60 shooting. Brett Royster had 12 points, while Sanchez Hughley and Richardson added 10 apiece.

"That was our worst defensive effort of the season," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team dropped a four-point decision at Central Florida two days earlier. "Greg Gantt shot the ball extremely well. They were more physical and hurt us on the glass. We allowed the wrong guys to get open. Most of the three-pointers came after offensive rebounds and that demoralized us."

In the first half, UAlbany jumped out to a 12-4 lead, as senior guard Mike Johnson buried a pair of three-pointers in that opening stretch. Johnson finished with a career-high 17 points and five rebounds and three assists. The Great Danes, who led by as much as 10 in the early going, still had a 21-13 advantage when Scotty McRae hit a jump hook in the lane.

The Owls were still behind 30-25, but then made a run behind the Gantt's shooting. He canned consecutive 3-pointers, including one from left of the key that gave his team its first lead of the period. The game seesawed in the final minutes of the half. Ambrose tied the contest at 34 apiece, before Brett Royster's three-point play gave FAU a halftime lead.

UAlbany's Harris, a 6'5" senior, had 20 points despite not playing a good deal of the first half due to foul trouble. Harris has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games. Ambrose was the third Great Dane in double figures with 19.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information