FAU falls to St. Bonaventure despite Devin Vanterpool's double-double

BOCA RATON — A rough performance on both ends of the floor led to the Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team dropping their third game of the season, falling 70-65 to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Nov. 30.

Devin Vanterpool’s 17-point, 10-rebound double-double led the way for the Owls (5-3), who struggled to find any consistency on offense. Vanterpool also added four steals. St. Bonaventure (7-1) was led by Cayden Charles' 16 points.

FAU led for only 3:19, playing catch-up for the majority of the afternoon.

“The disappointing thing for me is that some of this comes down to [missing] and [making] shots,” FAU head coach John Jakus said. “Somewhere inside our guys in that locker room is a care factor that will come out as we go, and I believe we’ll get better.”

More FAU basketball: Florida Atlantic basketball has nothing left from magical Final Four season as it enters 2025-26

The Owls are back in action on Dec. 7 when they travel to Fort Myers for a road matchup with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.

Here are the takeaways from the Owls’ third loss of the season:

FAU's shooting struggles from the floor set tone

The Owls struggled mightily from the field, shooting 41 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three-point range. FAU hit five of its 15 threes in the second half to mark a slight improvement over its 3-for-12 mark in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the slow start.

Vanterpool, and Amar Amkou were the only Owls to make more than one three-pointer. They were also the only ones to score in double figures.

“We were 8-for-27 from three, and for us that hurts,” Jakus said. “We’ll go back and look at the shot quality of those 27, but my guess is that there were more good than bad, and we missed some shots.”

Not only did the Owls struggle from outside, but they were 5-for-17 on layups and 8-for-20 at the rim.

“The reality is we’re going to have to finish at the rim,” Jakus said.

The Owls did win the offensive rebound battle, 14-4, but they were unable to capitalize on those second chances.

“It wasn’t enough to compensate for some of the shooting tonight,” Jakus said.

Bonnies shoot over 50 percent from the field

While the Owls couldn’t buy a bucket all afternoon, the Bonnies enjoyed a very efficient game. St. Bonaventure shot 53 percent from the floor, and knocked down six of their 14 three-point attempts. Four Bonnies scored in double-digits, and the team scored 30 points inside the paint.

Despite FAU coming away with eight blocks and seven steals, the Owls' inability to force St. Bonn to miss shots gave them no room for error on either end of the floor.

“When we make plays on the ball, we’re great,” Jakus said. “When we get through sets, and we pause for a second, our weak side rotations are a half-second late.”

FAU's 13 turnovers lead to 16 points for St. Bonn

Taking care of the ball wasn’t a strong suit for the Owls in their loss to the Bonnies. Florida Atlantic turned the ball over 13 times, with St. Bonaventure scoring 16 points off those turnovers.

Vanterpool, Amkou and Kanaan Carlyle each had multiple turnovers, with Vanterpool’s five leading the way. Seven of the nine players to touch the court for the Owls committed at least one turnover.

“We’re going to have to flip the floor a little cleaner,” Jakus said. “The sad thing is when we get a block or a stop - and then we turn it over full court at that moment. They made it clear at certain points when a couple of our guys put their heads down, they’re just going to go get the basketball.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls men's basketball falls to St. Bonaventure Bonnies 70-65