| BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball opened up its portion of The Paradise Classic Friday night with four players in double digits in scoring, topping UT Martin, 75-67, at Abessinio Court inside FAU Arena. QuotableHead Coach Dusty May: “Overall, pleased that we were able to take care of the basketball, it’s been a recurring issue. For us to have two turnovers in the second half, I thought both we great decisions, we just didn’t execute. I was very happy with our competitive spirit in the second half. I thought in the first half, we were kind of on our heels, we were playing a little bit casual, and in the second half – even though we didn’t play quite as well offensively – I do think we played with much more intensity and intention on the defensive end.” The BeginningThe first half saw five ties and 12 lead changes, but the fifth tie came on a Michael Forrest 3-pointer with 45 seconds left, and after a UTM missed jumper, Forrest connected again from long range with just seven ticks to go for the 12th lead change (and a 43-40 halftime lead). The Turning PointTwin 7-0 runs were part of the Owls scoring 14 of the second half’s first 19 points to push the lead into double digits for the first time. UTM battled back to score eight straight to trim it from 13 (the game’s largest) down to five, 58-53, with under 8:00 to go. The FinishFrom that point on, the game never got any closer. FAU’s lead fluctuated between a six- and 10-point spread for the last four minutes. Forrest’s two free throws with 13 seconds remaining iced it for the eight-point victory. Owl the StatsVladislav Goldin led the squad with a career-best 18 points, on 8-of-13 shooting, and had a team-high of nine rebounds as wellForrest had 17, on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range along with the capping free throwsEverett Winchester had a season-high 13, Bitumba Baruti added 10, and Alijah Martin fell just a point short of becoming the fifth Owl in double digitsWinchester also had a game-high five assists against just one turnoverThe Owls held a 40-35 rebounding edge, a 17-7 second chance advantage, and committed just nine turnovers in the game (with only two after the break, compared to 10 second-half assists)The FAU bench also outscored their Skyhawk counterparts, 19-8What’s NextThe Paradise Classic continues tomorrow, Saturday night, for the Owls, against North Dakota at 6 p.m. The four-day event concludes Monday with FAU and Troy, a 7 p.m. tip. 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). |
