| BOCA RATON (FAUSports.com) — The first game of February for the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team will prove to be a huge test with potential Conference USA Championship ramifications. Louisiana Tech comes into Thursday’s matchup at FAU Arena one game out of first place in the C-USA West Division, while the Owls are just a half game out of first place in the C-USA East Division. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The last matchup between the Bulldogs and FAU came down to the wire at the C-USA Championship Tournament in Frisco, Texas last March. FAU held the lead as late as the 3:20 mark. The contest was tied 69-69 with less than 90 seconds left, but La. Tech scored the final six points of the game to hold on for a 75-69 win. La. Tech holds an 8-2 advantage in the series, but FAU is an even 2-2 at The Burrow against the Bulldogs. The last FAU victory in the series came in head coach Dusty May‘s debut season (2018-19) when the Owls picked up a 69-61 victory at The Burrow on Jan. 31, 2019. The Owls have won seven straight at home and will look to extend that streak to eight Thursday night. The FAU-La Tech tilt will be heard in the South Florida area on Fox Sports 640 AM and will be streamed on ESPN+. Home Sweet Home In the Dusty May era, FAU has been very successful on Abessinio Court. When playing at The Burrow, the Owls have won more than 76 percent of their contests under May (40-12, .769). FAU has been even better on its home floor since May’s first season. Since 2019, FAU is 31-6 at FAU Arena for an .838 winning percentage. The Owls are currently in the midst of a seven-game home winning streak. Cleaning the Glass Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for the Owls the last two seasons. The Owls are No. 1 in CUSA and No. 51 in the nation in rebound margin at +5.1. In 17 of 21 games this year, FAU has tied or outrebounded the opposition. FAU has owned the rebounding edge by 10 or more seven times, with a high of +17 (at UNM). A-Mart Special Alijah Martin has stepped up in a big way during his second year as an Owl. After averaging 4.2 points in his first season, the second-year freshman is putting up 13.9 ppg this season, tied for the team lead. Martin has scored in double digits in 11 straight games and 17 of 21 games this year. He tallied 10+ points just 4 times in 21 games last year. His 5.7 rebounds per game leads the team. He’s also leading the team in steals, averaging 1.5 per game. Nelly Gettin’ Hot in Here Second-year freshman Johnell “Nelly” Davis came off the bench to score a career-best 15 points in Saturday’s win at UTSA. Davis also had six boards in the victory over the Roadrunners. He’s the team’s third-leading rebounder, despite averaging 18 min/game. More For more information on this game and the Owls, click here. |
