MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The 25th-ranked Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team suffered only its third loss of the season on Thursday night. The Owls were topped by Middle Tennessee, 74-70. The Owls’ record now stands at 24-3 and 14-2 in C-USA action.
After the Blue Raiders went up 56-41 with 10:19 remaining, the Owls did not give up and clawed back into the game. Buckets from Vladislav Goldin and Alijah Martin trimmed the deficit to 63-58 with 2:46 remaining.
The common theme was Middle Tennessee’s ability to answer, as a Blue Raider 3-pointer bumped it back to 66-58 with 2:26 left. A Michael Forrest transition jumper cut it to four with 49 seconds left, but Middle Tennessee hit five straight free throws to thwart the Owl comeback attempt and hang onto the win.
QUOTES FROM COACH MAY
“When we get out-rebounded like that, and they are bigger than every position, so we needed to be more physical and quicker to the ball, and to get only one point at the free throw line while turning it over 15 times, it’s not a recipe for success on the road against a quality team like Middle Tennessee,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “With this bye weekend, we need to refocus and figure out how to get our edge back. I’m proud of the guys for fighting back, and I thought we competed at an extremely high level in those last eight to 10 minutes.”
STATS & NOTES
- Martin led the Owls in scoring for the second straight game, scoring 15 on the night along with four rebounds
- Goldin recorded his fifth-straight game scoring in double figures with 14 tonight to pair with a team-high eight rebounds. Over the last five-game stretch, the Owl center is averaging 15.6 points per game on 31-of-45 shooting (69%) from the field
- Michael Forrest recorded 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 from 3-point range
- Jalen Gaffney filled the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals
- Middle Tennessee had a big edge on the glass, out-rebounding FAU 40-32. The Owls allowed 11 offensive rebounds
NEXT UP
FAU is off on Saturday and will return to the court for the final two home games this year. The Owls will host UTSA on Feb. 23 and UTEP on Feb. 25.
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