BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic had lost 80 games in Michael Curry’s four seasons entering Thursday night. Few, in terms of impact and the game itself, were as ugly as FAU’s 79-76 overtime loss to Rice on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ako Adams.
Hoping for their first winning streak since winning three straight from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18, FAU (11-16, 5-10 Conference USA, 11-16) instead spotted lowly Rice (6-22, 2-13) a 35-22 lead at halftime. FAU did rally back in the second-half and tied the game with just seconds left on a 3-pointer from Gerdarius Troutman, but failed to take advantage of opportunities in the bonus period.