SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The No. 15 Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team (9-2) captured the victory in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, taking down St. Bonaventure (7-3) by a score of 64-54 on Saturday afternoon.
It was a top-notch defensive performance for the relentless Owls, who turned a double-digit deficit into a double-digit victory after forcing a season high 21 turnovers.
Florida Atlantic’s 2023-24 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.
FIRST HALF
Like many games, the Owls struck first on the opening possession with Brandon Weatherspoon knocking in a triple.
Soon after, Florida Atlantic found themselves in unfamiliar territory: a double-digit deficit. The Owls would trail by as much as 11, but a 15-3 run over the final six minutes, with the last five coming from a turnaround fade away jump shot followed by a three-pointer from senior guard Bryan Greenlee, led FAU to the locker room with a 27-26 lead.
SECOND HALF
The battle continued in the second half. The Owls would find their first lead since the very beginning of the period with two consecutive signature slams by junior center Vlad Goldin with just under 10 minutes to go.
It was all Owls the rest of the way, with an 18-2 run to put the lead in double digits. Redshirt sophomore guard Nick Boyd, returning to the court from injury for the first time in seven games, had seven points to help spark the run. Florida Atlantic would force 12 turnovers and give up only just four in the half to seal the victory.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Dusty May
“I’d like to shout out Brenen Lorient, he made several hustle plays when the game was still undecided, (Bryan) Greenlee’s on-ball defense and then Giancarlo Rosado started both runs in each half. And then obviously we are excited about having Nick Boyd back and a full roster, the first time we had that in a while. We are excited to head back home with a victory that we think will stand the test of time and help us throughout the season.”
Junior Center Vlad Goldin
“It takes time to get used to how they play, what they do. After we adjusted, we just took what the game gave us.”
STATS & NOTES
- Junior guard Johnell Davis finished an all-around game leading the team in points (16), rebounds (nine), and assists (four)
- Goldin, the nation’s leader in field goal percentage, has not missed a shot in two games to up his season total to 76%. Against the Bonnies, he scored 11 points on 4-4 shooting
- Florida Atlantic not only won the turnover battle, but were able to score 24 points off takeaways compared to just nine for St. Bonaventure
- The Owls dominated inside, outscoring the Bonnies in the paint 34-20
- Key offensive rebounds, 10 in total, gave FAU 14 second chance points on the night while allowing just six on the defensive end
- All nine Owls who entered the game scored a field goal
UP NEXT
The Owls will be in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 23 to go head-to-head with Arizona (9-1), currently ranked No. 1 in the nation. Tip off will be at 3:00 p.m. EST and be broadcasted nationally on FOX.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
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