BOCA RATON (FAUSports.com) – The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team won its 10th straight home game Tuesday night on Abessinio Court. The Owls built a 33-point lead in the second half and cruised to an 81-62 victory.
FAU (15-9, 8-3 CUSA) won its eighth Conference USA contest of the season, tying the most wins ever in C-USA action for the Owls, dating back to 2013-14. FAU still has seven league games remaining to set a new benchmark for the program.
“We have really good players in our program and a staff that’s committed to helping them grow as much as they possibly can,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “When you have good players who are playing unselfishly and doing whatever it takes to win, this is the result. I’m very proud of this group of guys and staff, who put in so much work. There’s so much more to go. We have a long way to go, but we feel like we can compete with anyone in our conference.”
Old Dominion (9-14, 4-6 CUSA) was on fire to start the game, hitting five of its first six field goal attempts to jump on top 13-7. But it was all Owls from there. Alijah Martin and Michael Forrest each hit 3-pointers as FAU scored the next 12 points to take a 19-13 lead. And the Owls never looked back.
“We gave up about six straight good looks early and they hit five of them,” May said. “We were able to impose our will a little bit, getting out in the passing lanes a little more than usual, getting into the ball and disrupting their rhythm and timing. Our second group of guys who came in about four minutes into the game gave us a nice jolt of energy.”
A Bryan Greenlee 3-pointer and a 4-point play from Martin midway through the first half sparked a 17-4 outburst for FAU, as the Owls took a 19-point lead. Another run, this time 10-2, gave FAU a 25-point lead late in the first half, before settling for a 23-point edge at the intermission, 48-25.
The Owls kept their foot on the gas for the first 12 minutes of the second half to. FAU outscored the Monarchs 13-4 over the first five minutes of the second half, building a 32-point lead. The Owls took their largest lead of the game with 10:07 remaining when Brandon Weatherspoon hit his second 3-pointer of the game.
“Our best scorers are so willing to swing the ball, make the extra pass and play team ball that it has to be contagious,” May said of his team’s unselfish play. “We’re very dangerous offensively, with three guards who can dribble, pass and shoot. We have a post presence, a jack-of-all trades 4-man in Everett (Winchester) and Bitumba (Baruti) when he’s shooting the ball we’re extremely dangerous on the offensive end.”
As the Owls emptied the bench, Old Dominion trimmed its deficit. The Monarchs outscored FAU 14-2 over the final six minutes. But the outcome was never in doubt.
Forrest led the Owls in scoring with 16 points, while Martin added 12. Weatherspoon and Davis came off the bench to contribute 10 each. FAU’s reserves scored 36 points in the contest, compared to just five for ODU bench players. The Monarchs were led by Austin Trice, who tallied game-high totals for points and rebounds with 19 and 14, respectively.
The Owls are back in action on the road Thursday vs. Western Kentucky. FAU hasn’t won in Bowling Green since 2013. The Owls defeated WKU 78-69 back on Jan. 20 at The Burrow.
