BOCA RATON (FAUSports.com) – Western Kentucky had all the momentum with 76 seconds remaining in Thursday night’s game at FAU Arena. The Hilltoppers (10-8, 2-3 CUSA) were on an 8-0 run and trailed by just one point, 70-69. But Florida Atlantic (10-8, 3-2 CUSA) shored up its defense, got a pair of stops and scored the final eight points of the game to take a 78-69 victory.
“Our guys played with a lot of heart and a lot of confidence,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “I’m very proud of everyone who played, they all made major contributions. I thought we battled with everything we had. Our guys didn’t blink. They didn’t bend. They were locked in.”
Alijah Martin had scored in double figures in seven straight games, but he was struggling vs. WKU. With less than two minutes left, he had just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting. But he remained confident. His driving layup in the lane with 1:16 remaining stopped the Hilltoppers’ 8-0 run. Following a huge defensive play as Everett Winchester took an offensive foul, Martin buried a 3-pointer to put his team on top75-69 with 40 seconds remaining.
Winchester came up big on the defensive end again, this time with a rebound which gave the Owls an opportunity to hold the ball and force WKU to foul. Instead, Michael Forrest — who had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night himself – found himself with a wide-open 3-pointer and buried it to stick a dagger in any hopes of a Hilltopper comeback.
“With a six-point lead that put it out of reach,” May said with a chuckle. “If they foul and we miss a free throw, it’s still a game and we could get tight at that point. I love that approach from our guys of not being afraid.
Winchester did a little bit of everything for the Owls Thursday night. He and Forrest led the way in scoring with 14 points apiece. But Winchester did many of the things that aren’t always noticed. He grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, recorded a steal and drew six of the just 10 total fouls called against WKU.
“When he’s on, he’s a Swiss Army knife,” May said of Winchester. “Down the stretch for us, we switched him onto (Davyion) McKnight, their point guard who was finding a rhythm. He guarded him and his length bothered him. He came up with a loose ball rebound. He just did all the little things that didn’t show up in the stat sheet. He still had a good (stat) line, but it doesn’t compare to the impact he had on our team and on this game.”
Five Owls reached double-digit scoring in the game. In addition to the 14 apiece from Forrest and Winchester, Martin scored 13 for his eighth straight game in double figures, while Vlad Goldin added 12 and Bryan Greenlee had 12 on four 3-pointers. Forrest recorded a career-high eight assists in the contest as well. The Owls shared the ball effectively, recorded 20 assists on their 33 made field goals.
FAU was strong on the offensive boards once again. The Owls pulled down 12 offensive rebounds, leading to a 16-1 advantage in second-chance points. FAU also outscored WKU 38-26 in the paint and 20-11 off turnovers.
WKU led 36-33 at halftime and still maintained the advantage deep into the second half, leading 57-52 with seven minutes left.
FAU finally overcame the Hilltoppers with a 9-0 spurt. The big play came after a Winchester free throw was missed, as Martin pulled down an offensive board and found Forrest open for his first 3-pointer of the game. The four-point possession made it a one-point game. Thirty seconds later, Martin hit a 3-pointer to give FAU its first lead since the four-minute mark of the first half. Goldin capped the run with a 14-footer in the lane.
Another Goldin bucket with 3:36 remaining seemingly put the Owls in control, 70-61. But WKU responded with an 8-0 run. McKnight hit 5-of-6 from the free-throw line over the next 60 seconds before a Josh Anderson 3-pointer cut the WKU deficit to one, 70-69.
McKnight led all scorers in the contest with 22 points, while Camron Justice added 18 and Jairus Hamilton tacked on 11 for WKU.
FAU is back in action again Saturday afternoon, hosting Marshall. Tipoff on Abessinio Court is slated for 4 p.m.
