3/9/2025 | Men’s Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team concluded the 2024-25 regular season campaign with a triumphing 81-53 blowout victory over East Carolina on Sunday afternoon at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
Prior to the game, the Owls (17-14, 10-8) held a senior day ceremony, honoring KyKy Tandy, Ken Evans Jr., Jack Johnson, and three managers for their contributions to the program. FAU then put forth a season-best defensive outing, holding the Pirates (18-13) to 29.3% from the field. On the offensive end of the floor, Tandy knocked in five triples on his way to a game-high 19 points.
With the win, Florida Atlantic clinches the fifth seed in the upcoming American Athletic Conference tournament.
FIRST HALF
Tandy started the game with a three-pointer to get things going for Florida Atlantic. He led the Owls with 11 points in the opening frame, ending with three triples in the half. The two teams traded buckets in the opening minutes before FAU pulled away with a 15-0 run to build a double-digit lead. The Owls took a 20-point lead before entering the locker room up 41-23, now 13-3 when up at halftime.
Junior forward Baba Miller ended the first half with four assists and six rebounds and was a +13 on the court.
SECOND HALF
The Owls were not slowed down following the break, opening up the half with a 10-2 run. Much like the first period, a Tandy three-pointer opened up scoring, his first of two in the second.
Leading the way in the final 20 minutes, the frontcourt duo of redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll and junior forward Baba Miller combined for 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting and hauled in 11 rebounds.
Defensively, FAU allowed just eight field goals and no three-pointers while notching five blocks as the lead grew to 30 points on three separate occasions.
PRESS CONFERENCES
GALLERY
Gallery: (3-9-2025) Florida Atlantic vs. East Carolina
STATS & NOTES
- Head Coach John Jakus ends the regular season with a winning 17-14, 10-8 record in his first year at the helm for Florida Atlantic.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Niccolo Moretti made his first start as an Owl as the team trotted out their fourth starting lineup combination of the season (Evans Jr., Miller, Tandy, Moretti, Matas Vokietaitis).
- For the first time this season, two FAU players had a double-double, Carroll with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Miller with 11. This marked Miller’s team-high sixth double-double as an Owl and seventh in his career and the first of Carroll’s career.
- For the third straight game, Florida Atlantic with four players scoring in double figures.
- Sophomore forward Kaleb Glenn ends the regular season with 397 points as the leading scorer for the 2024-25 season, averaging 12.8 points per game.
- For the second time this season, the Owls held their opponent to less than 55 points in a game.
- As a team, Florida Atlantic recorded 47 rebounds, its most in conference play.
- For the third straight game, FAU tied their season high in blocks with eight.
- The Owls scored 30 points off the bench led by Carroll’s 17. They rank 15th in the nation in bench points per game.
UP NEXT
The Owls will enter postseason play and compete in the 2025 American Athletic Conference Championship when they face the winner of the first round on Thursday, Mar. 13, at 2:30 ET, airing on ESPNU and ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.
Florida Atlantic’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.
