| FRISCO, Texas (FAUSports.com) — The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Heritage Landscape Supply Conference USA Championship tournament with an 86-59 win over Southern Miss Wednesday night. The Owls, the No. 3 seed out of the East Division advance to face UAB, the No. 2 seed in the C-USA West. The Owls set a new program-best for wins in Conference USA in the 2021-22 season. FAU finished 11-7 in C-USA, besting 2018-19’s win total of eight. The Owls have also clinched a fourth-consecutive winning season for FAU, a first in program history. The Owls’ 11 conference victories were the most in any conference for FAU since the 2010-11 season, when the team was 13-3 in Sun Belt play. Their 19 wins is also the most since a 21-11 mark in 2010-11. FAU faced UAB once on the road this season, dropping a 76-65 decision back on Jan. 15. The Owls led 55-54 with 5:42 remaining in that contest, but a 10-2 Blazer run over the next three minutes lifted UAB to the victory. FAU is 4-6 all-time in Conference USA Championship tournament play. The Owls are looking for their first ever trip to the C-USA semifinals. The FAU second-round tilt will be heard in the South Florida area on Fox Sports 640 AM and will be streamed on Stadium. An FAU Win Would … Put FAU into the C-USA Semifinals for the first time ever Be the Owls’ fifth all-time victory in C-USA Tournament play Secure FAU’s third-ever 20-win season and just its second in NCAA Division I Be WAY better than a loss History Made FAU has clinched its fourth consecutive winning season, making Dusty May the first Owls’ head coach ever to lead a team to four straight winning seasons. Back in 1992, Tim Loomis coached the Owls to three straight seasons with a winning percentage above .500 while the team was a member of NCAA Division II. It is also the first time in school history the Owls have accomplished that feat. Big-Time Bench FAU’s bench has been a key factor this season. The Owls’ reserves have outscored the opponent bench 20 times this season and FAU is 15-5 in those contests. The Owls’ bench averages a 24.3-18.8 edge per game. In games vs. Conference USA opponents, the FAU edge is 24.4-15.3. Cleaning The Glass Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for the Owls. FAU is currently No. 1 in CUSA and No. 42 in the nation in rebound margin at +5.0. In 25 of 32 games this year, FAU has tied or outrebounded the opposition. FAU has owned the rebounding edge by 10 or more nine times, with a high of +19 (at Charlotte). Scoring Record Broken The Owls have scored 2,382 points so far this season, breaking the school record for most points in a single season. The 2007-08 team scored 2,367. FAU averages 74.4 points per game. |
