BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball won for the sixth time during its nine-game homestand, wrapping the stretch with an 84-63 win over Palm Beach Atlantic Wednesday on Abessinio Court inside FAU Arena.
QuotableHead Coach Dusty May:
“We were very pleased with our effort for about 25 to 30 minutes. There was a stretch in the first half where we had several layups and point-blank finishes just not go down (and) we struggled at the free throw line. We feel like that kept us from being able to extend any leads or go on runs. To our guys’ credit, they never looked scared to lose or scared of the moment. They stayed aggressive, they kept attacking and just stayed the course … For us to (score) 84 with a couple of pivotal players not having their best game, it’s a good sign going forward.”
The BeginningThe Owls (6-4) held PBA scoreless for the final 4:47 of the first half, turning a four-point deficit into a 36-33 lead at the break. Bryan Greenlee (12), Michael Forrest (11) and Everett Winchester (6) accounted for 29 of the squad’s 36 in the first 20 minutes.
The Turning PointThe Sailfish scored the first basket of the second, but FAU immediately went on an 11-2 run, including two 3-pointers by Alijah Martin, for the Owls’ biggest lead to that point (of eight, 47-39).
The FinishA few possessions later, it was still just a six-point spread – 49-43 – until FAU began to pour it on, scoring 15 of the next 17. Over the five minutes before and after that run, Giancarlo Rosado poured in eight points, including three straight Owl baskets, and Forrest contributed seven in a row. For the remaining nearly 10 minutes, the lead stayed between 17 and 23.
Owl the Stats
- Forrest scored eight of the Owls’ first 10 points, and at that point, had outscored PBA by himself. He’d lead the squad with 21
- Greenlee was next with 15, going a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range
- Next was Winchester with 11 and Rosado’s 10 (on 4-of-6 shooting)
- Bogdan Zimonjic came off the bench with eight second-half points, a career best
- Johnell Davis led the Owls to a 42-32 rebounding advantage with eight, followed by Vladislav Goldin (six) and Rosado (five)
- Davis also contributed six points, three assists, and a career-high four steals. When he was in the game, the Owls were +24
- FAU assisted on 23 of their 30 baskets, with Winchester recording a team high of six, one more than Greenlee.
- That came against committing only five turnovers, the third-least total in program history (four twice is the record, last coming on Jan. 4, 2015)
- FAU shot 60% from the field in the second half (18-of-30) and 8-of-14 from beyond the arc
What’s NextThe Owls return to the road for just the second time this season (since the opener on Nov. 10), taking on VCU in Richmond, Virginia, next Wednesday, Dec. 15. Two days after, the squad returns to FAU Arena to host Florida Tech at 7 p.m. For tickets, click HERE or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
Follow the OwlsFor the most up-to-date information on the squad, follow along on Twitter (@FAUMBB), Instagram (@FAUMBB) and Facebook (FAU Men’s Basketball).
