BOCA RATON, Fla. – Senior guard Brandon Tabb matched a season-high with 26 points to lead a second-half rally, but Bethune-Cookman University fell to Florida Atlantic, 93-75, Saturday at FAU Arena.
 
BCU (4-4) trailed by as much as 29 points at the 5:29 mark of the first half before amounting a furious rally to eventually cut the deficit to eight points in the latter period on a David Francis dunk at 8:44. 
 
Fouls played a big part in the game, as each team accumulated 15 of the personal variety in the first half, and BCU finished with 29 personals. FAU (4-3) cashed in on 29 of 42 opportunities, led by Justin Massey's 9-11 performance.
 
Massey gave the Owls the first half cushion with 20 points within the game's first 10 minutes, and finished with a game-high 31 on 6-13 from three.
 
The Wildcat comeback attempt was aided by strong defense. FAU went without a field goal for the final 5:29 of the first half, and BCU used nine steals to supply 16 turnovers into 14 points. Tabb's four steals were a season-high, and the senior led BCU with eight rebounds. The Wildcats ran well in transition, out-pacing FAU 25-9 in the fast break.
 
David Francis scored a BCU career-best 12 off the bench, and Malik Maitland chipped in 12 as well.

BCU returns to Historic Moore Gymnasium looking to build upon its 3-0 home record with a pair of games next week. The Wildcats host Boston University on Dec. 8 and Cal Poly on Dec. 12. Both games tip at 7 p.m.