Troy University Athletics
Florida Atlantic Run Sends Troy to 91-87 Defeat in Sun Belt Opener
12/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Troy placed five players in double figures but seven straight second-half points by Florida Atlantic lifted the Owls to a 91-87 victory over the Trojans in their first-ever Sun Belt Conference game Wednesday night at FAU Arena.
Boo Ramsey led the way for Troy with 22 points, hitting six three-pointers, while Sammy Sharp added 16 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Cedric Jackson added 15 points and five boards, while Troy's top two scorers - O'Darien Bassett and Richard Chaney -- tallied just 10 points each.
Derrick Simmons and Carlos Monroe tallied 21 and 20, respectively, for Florida Atlantic (4-5, 1-0), with 16 of Simmons' points coming in the second half and 16 of Monroe's in the first.
After trailing by five at the half and 49-45 two-plus minutes into the second, Troy (5-6, 0-1) scored seven straight points to gain its first lead of the contest. The run continued to 15-6 as the Trojans opened a six-point edge, 60-54, with 13:22 remaining. But Troy missed four of its next five shots and had an offensive foul over the next three minutes, allowing Florida Atlantic to even the game at 62 with 10:15 to play.
After Bassett put the Trojans back up with one of two free throws, the Owls ran off seven straight points and never trailed again. Troy closed to within two - 74-72 with 4:35 left and 89-87 with 13 ticks left -- but each time FAU responded with a bucket.
They played a pretty good overall game tonight,” said Head Coach Don Maestri. Everything I was worried about coming in came true. Their defense was intense. And then offensively, they hit some big shots. We didn't do a good job getting the ball inside at points when we needed it.”
Florida Atlantic started out hot, hitting six of their first 10 attempts from the field. An 8-0 run at the end of that surge turned a 6-6 tie into a 14-6 Owl lead. Troy immediately struck back with five in a row, a Justin Jonus putback and a Boo Ramsey three. FAU tallied seven straight points to open a 21-14 lead, but the Trojans answered with an 8-2 run to climb back to within one, 23-22 with 9:25 to play.
Troy tied the game at 32 and 34 and trailed 41-40 with 1:45 remaining before allowing a final first-half push by the home team. Six straight points were answered only by a Sammy Sharp jumper in the closing seconds, giving Florida Atlantic a 47-42 lead at the break. Sharp finished the period with 14 and five boards, but was overshadowed by Monroe, who had 16 points and six boards.
Troy returns home Sunday to face Florida International in its final game on the pre-Christmas schedule. Tip-off of the doubleheader - with the Troy women to follow - is slated for 1 p.m.
