BOCA RATON, FL -- Jacksonville had its second-best shooting night from beyond the arc on Tuesday but fell short at Florida Atlantic 85-63.

The Dolphins (5-5) got 41 total points from the bench, led by a team-high 15 point showing from freshman Chris Arias. Finishing 3-6 from deep and 4-8 from the field, Arias was a part of a 12-29 shooting night from downtown.

Fellow freshman Kent Jackson went 2-4 from deep, finishing with six points. Freshman Enrico Borio also notched six points with a 2-3 shooting performance.

Also off the bench Zimi Nwokeji dropped 12 points on 4-5 shooting from 3-point land. Zach Bell led all JU starters with 12 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jacksonville hopped out to an early 3-2 lead behind a downtown make from Bell. JU and FAU battled back and forth with JU seizing a 23-17 lead after the second of Jackson's triples. At the half, JU trailed 37-31 despite making just a single bucket from inside the arc. The Dolphins had their nine of 10 total makes from deep in the opening 20 minutes.

In the second half, FAU shot 45% from the field and was able to keep JU off the glass. The Dolphins lost the rebounding battle for just the second time this season, 50-36. During the game's final 20 minutes, the Owls outrebounded JU 23-16. 

Outside of Bell's 12 points, JU starters tallied only 10 points. Robert McCray V put up eight while Kendall Munson and Stephon Payne III each scored a point. Jakari Spence was held scoreless on six tries. 

While scoring may have been tough for the Dolphin starting five, the unit proved useful in several other ways. Bell blocked two shots high above the rim, setting a new career best. Spence grabbed a team-high six rebounds and Payne tied the team-high in steals with two. 

As a unit defensively, Jacksonville forced 13 FAU turnovers. The team turned those takeaways into 17 points on the other end of the floor. 

Game Notes

• The Dolphins knocked down 12 3-pointers for the second time this season.
• The Dolphins shared the ball well, recording an assist on 65 percent of made field goals (11 total assists).
• Jacksonville collected 10 offensive boards.
• Maximus Fuentes appeared in his second consecutive game.
• Nwokeji fouled out of Tuesday's contest after 10 minutes.

Coach's Comments


Next Up
The Dolphins will return to Jacksonville for a contest in the ASUN / SoCon Challenge. JU will play host to East Tennessee State University on Saturday, Dec. 14. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. EST after previously being scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.