3/19/2025 | Men’s Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team staged a comeback in the closing minutes but ultimately fell to Dayton by a score of 86-79 in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
In a strong offensive showing, the Owls (18-16) shot over 50% from the field with four double-digit scorers, led by sophomore forward Kaleb Glenn with 18 points against the Flyers (23-10).
FIRST HALF
Both teams came out swinging with no misses from the field for the first three minutes. The Owls got to the rim with six dunks to ignite the home crowd as the frontcourt duo of Glenn and freshman center Matas Vokietaitis combined for 22 points in the opening frame.
A back-and-forth first half saw 10 lead changes and four ties, with Florida Atlantic holding an advantage for 10 total minutes. The Flyers pulled away for the lead with two minutes to go and never relinquished it as FAU entered halftime trailing 44-38.
SECOND HALF
Junior forward Baba Miller opened scoring in the second half with a bucket in the paint to cut the deficit to four, but the Flyers soon built a double-digit lead.
FAU trailed by as much as 19 and faced a 13-point deficit with just under two minutes remaining. With the season on the line, the Owls forced two straight turnovers on defense and scored eight straight points on the offensive end, culminating in a driving layup from Miller to put the score within five with 33 seconds left. Dayton responded with two free throws to seal the game.
POSTGAME PRESSER
GALLERY
Gallery: (3-19-2025) Florida Atlantic vs. Dayton (NIT)
STATS & NOTES
- Glenn finished the season leading the team at 12.6 points per game in his first season as an Owl.
- Vokietaitis scored 14 points. In his last three games, he went a combined 22-for-28 (79%) from the field, averaging 17.3 per game.
- Redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll added 17 points making six out of his seven attempts.
- Miller scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and added a team-high seven rebounds.
- Junior guard Leland Walker dished out seven assists for the second consecutive game. He tallied at least five in each of the last five games.
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Florida Atlantic’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.
