BOCA RATON, Fla. – In the 2022-23 season opener, the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team cruised past Lynn by a final score of 81-46. The Owls dominated from start to finish to grab the first win of the season and start the year on a high note.
Johnell Davis led the way for the Owls with a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds and three steals. Nick Boyd scored double-digits with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. In his first game with the Owls, Jalen Gaffney scored 10 points off of the bench on 4-of-6 from the floor.
A massive 15-0 run from FAU propelled the Owls to a 35-9 run lead with 4:46 to go in the first half. With just under 10 in the opening half, Lynn cut the lead to 20-9 before the Owls raced out to the big 26-point lead. Davis knocked down a transition 3-pointer, then a few possessions later came up with a steal. Davis found Alijah Martin on the fast break who threw down an emphatic dunk that put the Owls ahead 27-9.
A trifecta from Gaffney followed by five straight points from Bryan Greenlee, capped off by a 3-pointer stretched the lead to 24. After Lynn got a couple of buckets, a layup from Tre Carroll capped off a 17-4 run for FAU that gave the Owls control of the game. FAU took a 42-16 lead into halftime, and the Owls did not look back in the second to cruise to the season-opening win.
QUOTES FROM COACH MAY
“Overall, we’re happy with tonight. Our team spirit and competitive nature were great, which is very important,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “I thought we adjusted to the game well after the first few minutes. Overall, I thought we got some good looks and didn’t capitalize on all of them. I thought Alijah (Martin) got some good looks, and Brandon Weatherspoon got some good looks too. I thought we had some great point guard play, those guys set up their teammates, created some good looks and were very efficient on the offensive side of the ball, and were solid defensively too. All of the point guards, Nick Boyd, Bryan Greenlee, Jalen Gaffney and Alejandro Ralat at the end did a great job at the point guard position tonight.”
STATS & NOTES
- Martin tallied nine points and nine rebounds on the night
- Vladislav Goldin tallied eight points on 4-of-6 shooting
- Giancarlo Rosado added eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds
- FAU shot 32-of-63 (50.8%) from the field
- The Owls had a big advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Lynn 50-28
- The edge on the glass translated to an 18-6 lead in second chance points along with a 42-16 advantage in points in the paint
TWO-GAME SEC SWING ON DECK
FAU will travel to Ole Miss for a Friday night game on Nov. 11, then head to Florida to face the Gators on Nov. 14. Both will tip at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW FAU ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.
