BOCA RATON, FL (WTKR)- Hoping their shooting was as hot as the South Florida sun, Old Dominion's first half performance could best be described as chilling.
Florida Atlantic took control early in the first half, held a 23 point halftime lead and cruised past the Monarchs, 81-62, on Monday night. It marks back-to-back losses for ODU, which now falls to 9-14, 4-6 in Conference USA.
With the Monarchs leading 13-7, the Owls unleashed a 31-6 run to pull well ahead and went into the locker room at halftime leading 48-25. 11 first half turnovers led to 24 FAU points as the silver and blue went into the break in a big hole.
The second half saw Old Dominion take the floor with a bit more intensity, but it was unable to overcome the sizable deficit. Jeff Jones saw his team end the game on a 14-2 run to tighten up the score a bit.
Florida Atlantic knocked down 13 three pointers and held the edge on the boards, 41-33. The Owls took advantage of their deep bench as 10 players saw double-digit minutes and held the edge in bench points, 36-5. They outscored the Monarchs in fast break points, 20-2.
Austin Trice paced ODU in the losing cause, scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Kalu Ezikpe added 12 points and C.J. Keyser chipped in 11 points. Michael Forrest led four Owls in double figures with 16 points.
The Monarchs have now fallen in six of their last eight games and have lost two in a row since back-to-back wins. FAU improved to 15-9 on the season and sits atop the Conference USA Eastern Division with an 8-3 league mark.
Old Dominion continues its busy week on Thursday when the Monarchs visit Middle Tennessee. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.
