Short-handed Falcons Hang With FAU in Exhibition

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Florida College Falcons were defeated on Wednesday evening, 76-64 by the Florida Atlantic University Owls.

Being that FAU is an NCAA Division I opponent, the game is counted as an exhibition for FC.

Kent Hegarty continued to miss time due to injury, and the Falcons were also without Matt Simpson.

The Falcons were led in scoring by Bryce Nickels. Nickels scorched the nets for 26 points on (10-11) shooting and (6-7) from the foul line. He also had 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Stefan Nakic-Vojnovic chipped in 12 points, while Zach Brock had 11 of his own.

The Falcons trailed by as many as 18 in the first half, but a lineup of Darion Wilson, Hayden Todd, Andy Stevens, Stefan Nakic-Vojnovic, and Bryce Nickels sparked the team and cut the deficit to 13 at the intermission.

The second half saw the Owls jump out to a hot start. They would eventually lead by 28 with nine minutes and change left to play. The Falcons used a 29-13 run to close the game out. The majority of those points came from Bryce Nickels.

Bryce Nickels wasn't the only FC player to play his best game of the season. Hayden Todd played a career-high 17 minutes in the contest. He added 4 points on (1-1) shooting from the field, (2-2) from the charity stripe and snagged 2 rebounds and an assist on the night. He was also very active defensively for the Falcons.

Every player that dressed out for the Falcons saw minutes in the game.

"Not a bad way to finish up the semester," stated head coach Pat Todd. "Our guys battled back and hung in there with an (8-3) mid-major program on their home court. They have some really nice size that was a big adjustment for us early. These games are great for our program and we appreciate FAU and coach May for having us. I'm really proud of how hard our team has worked this semester."

FC returns to the hardwood on January 3, 2019. They'll play host to (9-3, 3-1 SSAC) Bethel University (Tenn.) at 7:30 PM (ET).