2/27/2025 | Men’s Basketball | Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team was defeated by North Texas, 71-61, on Thursday evening at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
With the loss, the Owls move to 15-13, 8-7 in American Athletic Conference play. Florida Atlantic had a strong opening 20 minutes, shooting over 50% from both the field and from three-point range, but the Mean Green’s (21-6, 12-3 AAC) defense is ranked second in the nation in least points allowed forced them to rely on the free throw game in the second half.
FIRST HALF
The Owls jumped out to an early lead, holding it for the first seven minutes before the Mean Green took over.
North Texas built a double-digit advantage before FAU responded with a run of its own, led by junior guard Leland Walker knocking down three shots in a row from beyond the arc. The Owls converted eight of their last nine field goal attempts of the period, culminating in a bucket inside from junior forward Baba Miller right before time expired to enter the locker room trailing 37-34.
SECOND HALF
Early in the final period, the Owls’ offense came off multiple highlight dunks from Miller. The Mean Green then held Florida Atlantic without a field goal for over eight minutes, allowing the lead to grow to as much as 17. After a slight FAU run, Miller drilled the team’s only three-pointer of the half with just over a minute remaining, the game’s final score, to bridge the deficit to 10 points.
After not reaching the free throw line in the first half, the Owls had 16 attempts from the charity stripe in the second half, making 14 of them.
POSTGAME PRESSER
STATS & NOTES
- Walker has made seven three-pointers in the last two games. In addition to his game-high 19 points, he also led the Owls with five assists
- Miller’s 12 points came on 6-for-8 shooting
- Redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll reached 500 career points after entering the game with 494. 68% of his career points have come this season
- The Owls converted a season-high 87.5% of their free throws, all coming in the second half
UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic will travel to Tampa to face USF (13-16, 6-10 AAC) on Sunday, Mar. 2 in a matchup that will tip off at 12 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
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Florida Atlantic’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.
