Sun Belt Sports Fans

Florida Atlantic 57, Manhattan 50

Florida Atlantic struggled early in a non-conference bout with the struggling Manhattan Jaspers, but picked up the effort in the second half and ended up with a 57-50 win, their fourth win in a row. Greg Gantt had 17 points and the Owls were able to overcome shooting 20 percent from downtown and 38.5 percent from the free throw line, improving to 12-6 on the season.

The game, being played after a two-week delay thanks to a winter snowstorm that prevented Manhattan from getting to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ended up being the last non-conference game for the Owls instead of the first game, as it was originally supposed to be. In that time the Owls – coached by former St. John’s and George Washington maestro Mike Jarvis – went 3-0, including 2-0 in conference play, and this win pushed them to 9-2 in the last 11 games. On the other hand, Manhattan continued to slump under beleaguered coach Barry Rohrssen, losing its 14th straight game after a 2-0 start to the season.

Demetrius Jemison led the Jaspers with 11 points, and Rhamel Brown added 10 in the losing effort at FAU Gymnasium in Fort Lauderdale. For the Owls, Jordan McCoy added 10 points off the bench and Brett Royster added 4 first-half blocks (he finished with 5 for the game), setting the Sun Belt all-time block record in the process. When Royster registered his third block of the game, he moved from second place into first for his career. He now sits at 269, three more than previous leader Alan Ogg, a 7-foot-2 giant who played for the University of Alabama-Birmingham when it competed in the Sun Belt two decades ago before moving to Conference USA. (As a sad footnote, Ogg died in November of 2009 at the age of 42.)

This game was in no sense pretty for either team, but the Owls were able to hang on and avoid falling into the trap-game dilemma. The Jaspers, on the other hand, cut the lead to five late but lacked a sense of urgency as the game slipped away from them, constantly letting the game clock wind down before getting up a shot. It’s this lack of game awareness, a complete detachment from specific situational needs and priorities, that has characterized the Jaspers’ tumble to the bottom tier of the college basketball world. For the Owls, however, this extra game – which has admittedly crowded their schedule in the midst of the Sun Belt season – represented one last chance to face an unfamiliar foe. Perhaps the skirmish with Manhattan will keep this team eager, awake and aware as the Sun Belt stretch resumes over the coming weekend.

Sujal Shah
DFN Sports Senior staff Writer