| FRISCO, Texas – The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team began the postseason with an emphatic 75-51 blowout win over Western Kentucky on Thursday night. The top-seeded Owls rolled past the No. 8 seeded Hilltoppers to advance to the Conference USA Semifinals, where the Owls will face the No. 4 seeded Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. eastern.FAU’s defense locked down WKU’s offense, limiting the Hilltoppers to 27.3% (18-of-66) from the field and 20.7% (6-of-29) from 3-point land while forcing 14 turnovers. The Owls took a 30-20 lead into the locker room, then came out fast in the second half with an 8-0 run to grasp a commanding 18-point advantage. This marks the first time that the Owls have advanced to the semifinals in their 10-year history as a member of Conference USA. Quotes From the Owls “I thought our guys came out with great spirit and great energy,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “Even when the ball wasn’t going in in the first half, our guys adjusted and got to the rim, found some easy baskets and got in the passing lanes on defense. The rebounding and intensity we played with was impressive. I’m proud of our guys for how they were able to rebound and play with such heart and toughness, despite being undersized at every position.” “I think it shows our toughness and grit,” Nick Boyd said when asked upon his team’s blowout win. “I don’t feel like we played particularly well, we didn’t shoot well and had too many turnovers, but we found a way to get it done.” Stats & Notes Johnell Davis was once again the leading scorer for the Owls and had a big all-around game, tallying 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tonight’s game is the eighth time that the C-USA Sixth Player of the Year has led the Owls in scoring and the 20th time this season he has reached double figures Boyd had a strong night, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with six rebounds Vladislav Goldin provided another efficient night, scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field including three big dunks. The Owl center also added two blocked shots Giancarlo Rosado tallied eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, while Brandon Weatherspoon scored eight points and gathered five boards Despite shooting only 19.2% from 3-point territory (5-of-26), the Owls still posted a 49.2% clip (31-of-63) from the field with a mark of 70.2% (26-of-37) from 2-point range The Owls had a massive 46-16 edge in points in the paint and a 25-3 lead in bench points. FAU also doubled up WKU in second chance points 20-10The battle on the boards was won handily by FAU, 48-37 Semifinals Tomorrow The Owls will square off against the Blue Raiders tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. eastern with a trip to the title game on the line. Tomorrow’s semifinal can be seen on CBS Sports Network. Follow FAU on Social Media To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB. |
