BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball fell in the finale of the Paradise Classic, an overtime loss at the hands of Troy, 83-78, Monday at Abessinio Court inside FAU Arena.
QuotableHead Coach Dusty May:
“Hats off to Troy, they played a very good game. They got 51 points off of their bench, they had two guys that hadn’t made a ‘3’ this year coming in go 6-for-6, so they played very very well. We battled for 45 minutes, played hard, competed, and it was a great college basketball game. It felt like a conference game, so hopefully this will prepare us going forward.”
The BeginningFAU (3-3) was held scoreless for five minutes of gametime, but Troy (4-2) didn’t take full advantage, only leading 14-10 at the nine-minute mark. The game decidedly switched to the Owls’ favor over the next five minutes, as a 16-4 run made for a 10-point lead, 31-21 at 4:04; the Trojans responded by scoring eight in a row to cut it back to a two-point game, and ended the half on an 11-4 stretch. All that equated to a three-point Owls’ halftime lead.
The Turning PointThe Owls held a seven-point lead six minutes into the second half, 46-39, but over the next four minutes, Troy went 5-of-5 from behind the arc as part of a 19-5 run to themselves go up seven with just over 10:00 left. Bryan Greenlee stopped the bleeding with a left corner 3-pointer, and four straight Owl free throws knotted things up at 60-60 at 7:03.
The FinishTroy kept the lead from that point on, until with 1:42 to go, Vladislav Goldin hit a reverse layup to tie it again at 68-68, the Owls forced an immediate turnover, and Alijah Martin hit a driving layup and was fouled at 1:08. He converted the and-one free throw to make it 71-68 (FAU’s first lead since 11:44). With 13 seconds left, a Troy 3-point attempt saw Duke Deen make all three from the line to push the visitors back ahead, but Everett Winchester was fouled on the other end with just 6.5 to go, and he made one of two to tie it. Troy’s last-second opportunity went by the wayside to send it to overtime.
In the extra period, Greenlee started the scoring with a straightaway ‘3’ 51 seconds in, with the Trojans scoring the next four. Johnell Davis’ two free throws gave FAU the lead back with two minutes left, 78-77, but that would be their last points – and last advantage. Troy got the go-ahead basket with 1:30 left, another with 20 seconds to go, and two free throws at 4.3 for the final margin.
Owl the Stats
- Martin set a career high with a team-leading 22 points, and also paced the team with eight rebounds
- Greenlee scored 14, recorded a career-best seven assists, and tied his personal best with six rebounds
- Giancarlo Rosado was next with 10 points, Davis added eight, and Goldin battled foul trouble but still posted a line of eight points and seven rebounds
- The Owls fell despite outrebounding the Trojans 46-36 and having an assist advantage of 15-11
What’s NextThis marked game No. 5, pushing FAU over the hump in their nine-game homestand. Next is a 2 p.m. matinee matchup at FAU Arena featuring the Owls and James Madison, this Sunday, Nov. 28. For tickets, click HERE or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
Follow the OwlsFor the most up-to-date information on the squad, follow along on Twitter (@FAUMBB), Instagram (@FAUMBB) and Facebook (FAU Men’s Basketball).
