10/26/2024 | Men’s Basketball | Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team began the John Jakus era with a 104-53 victory over Saint Leo on Saturday afternoon at the Eleanor R. Baldwin.
10 different players scored in the blowout win that saw the Owls shoot 53.5% from the field while holding the opposing defense to 27.7%.
FIRST HALF
The Owls used their size advantage early on with freshman center Matas Vokietaitis and junior forward Baba Miller combining for the team’s first nine points, all inside the paint.
Redshirt freshman guard Devin Vanterpool picked off a pass and drove it in for the score to give FAU an 18-8 lead, one in which they never looked back from.
Miller and Vokietaitis connected on multiple scores inside to spark a run that grew the lead to 26. The Owls entered the locker room with a 55-29 advantage. Vokietaitis led the way with a game-high 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting, adding six rebounds.
SECOND HALF
The Owls built a 50-point lead, keyed by three pointers from redshirt senior guard Ken Evans Jr. and redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll and multiple soaring slam dunks from sophomore forward Kaleb Glenn. Carroll did not miss in the second half, scoring nine on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting.
For the second time in less than a year at the Elly, Florida Atlantic reached the century mark with just over two minutes left when Carroll drove in for the score and drew a foul for the three-point play.
PRESS CONFERENCES
STATS & NOTES
- The Owls had a pair of 20-point scorers: Vokietaitis (23 points, 8-for-10 FG), Carroll (21 points, 9-12 FG)
- Glenn nearly notched the double-double, going for 10 points and nine rebounds
- Evans and Miller tallied 10 points each
- Redshirt sophomore guard Niccolo Moretti dished out a game-high five assists
- FAU scored 64 of their points in the paint compared to Saint Leo’s 16
- The Owls won the rebound battle 52-34
- Florida Atlantic only had six turnovers to Saint Leo’s 18 and were able to score 32 points off of them compared to the Lions’ zero
GALLERY
Gallery: (10-26-2024) MBB vs. Saint Leo (Exhibition)
UP NEXT
One last exhibition matchup remains for the Owls as they head to Auburn on Friday, Nov. 1, tipping off at 8 p.m. EST. The regular season opener is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 4 against Indiana State at the Wooden Family Fieldhouse in Xenia, Ohio, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. EST.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.
Florida Atlantic’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.
