BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Nov. 29, 2019)– A trio of players in double figures helped the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team to an 87-69 win over Holy Cross on Friday night. The Owls’ record improved to 3-3 with the victory.
The Start
Freshman Kenan Blackshear converted a three-point play off of the opening tip to give FAU a quick 3-0 lead. That energized the Owls, playing for the first time in nine days, as they got out to a 19-10 advantage 10 minutes into the game.
The Turning Point
Holy Cross (0-6) trimmed its deficit to five before Cornelius Taylor hit back-to-back three-pointers, followed by Michael Forrest making one of his own to help extend FAU’s cushion to 12, 28-16, with 6:30 left in the first half. Another flurry from behind the arc, capped by Taylor making one just before the buzzer, gave the Owls a 41-21 lead at the break.
The Finish
A Taylor jumper pushed FAU ahead 51-28 at the 16:37 mark of the second half. The Crusaders responded with a 15-4 run to pull within 12, 55-43, with 11 minutes remaining in the contest. They would get no closer, as the Owls withstood the attempted comeback and a pair of Madiaw Niang triples gave FAU a 71-52 cushion. Holy Cross never seriously threatened again.
Notables
- Cornelius Taylor scored 15 points to lead FAU and tied for the team-high with six rebounds
- Taylor became the first Owl this season to repeat as the team’s leading scorer. FAU entered Friday’s game having had five different leading scorers through five games
- Richardson Maitre tallied 13 points and nabbed three steals
- Michael Forrest posted 13 points, five rebounds and two assists. Forrest also made all four of his three-point attempts
- Kenan Blackshear scored nine points, had three rebounds, all of them coming on the offensive end and dished out two assists. Blackshear was able to convert two three-point play opportunities
- Madiaw Niang registered eight points and six boards
- 10 FAU players scored on the night, the fifth time this season that at least that many Owls have put points on the board
- As a team, the Owls shot 11-of-22 from behind the arc. The 11 makes is tied for the most FAU has made in a game this year
- Defensively, FAU held Holy Cross to 69 points, the fewest the Owls have given up all year
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Dusty May
“I thought we took good looks, we shared the ball, we drove, we kicked…we played more under control. I’m proud of the way we responded to that run (Holy Cross) made.”
What’s Next
The Owls continue action in the Boca Raton Beach Classic on Sunday, Dec. 1 when they take on UIC. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available at fausports.com. The game can be heard on FOX Sports 640AM. Live updates will be posted to the team’s official Twitter account, @FAU_Hoops.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
