| RUSTON, La. – While the 2022-23 season has been a magical and historic ride for the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team, it hasn’t always been easy. The Owls have had to grind out several wins while fighting through adversity. The regular season finale against Louisiana Tech was another example of the Owls finding a way to win. Despite trailing for the vast majority of the game, the Owls prevailed 76-72 to cap off the regular season at an incredible 28-3 mark including 18-2 in Conference USA action.FAU will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Conference USA Championship Tournament this week. The Owls will play on March 9 against the winner of No. 8 WKU and No. 9 UTEP, who play on March 8.The Owls trailed at the half, 43-38, and faced an uphill battle against a determined Bulldog team in the second half. LA Tech went ahead 51-43, but the Owls dwindled the lead back to 56-55 with a Giancarlo Rosado lay-up. FAU went up 74-68 with 2:15 left, but the Bulldogs refused to go away, pulling within 74-72. LA Tech brought the ball up the floor after a miss and got to the rim, but Vladislav Goldin came up with a massive chase down block to keep the Owls on top. With time running out, the score remained 74-72, and Goldin delivered once again on the defensive end with a big time rejection, deflecting the ball out of bounds with six seconds left. The Owls’ defense forced a difficult 3-point attempt which was missed, and LA Tech was called for the foul. Nick Boyd hit the two free throws to make it a four-point game and ice the win for the Owls. Quotes From Coach May “It was a slugfest,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “Credit to LA Tech, I thought they played really well. They were determined and they were flying around, especially in the first half. Fortunately, we have great depth and we were able to wear them out in the second half because of it. Our response to adversity was impeccable. Our guys responded the right way; I think the biggest growth component of this team compared to years past is the way that we respond to adversity.” Stats & Notes The Owls’ cap off their incredible regular season with the most conference wins in C-USA history at 18, as well as the most wins in school history with 28Only No. 1 Houston has fewer losses than FAU, as the Cougars have two. Charleston is tied with FAU also at 28-3Goldin had another big night for the Owls, which has been a trend for the sophomore center this season. He led the team with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and four rebounds to go with a season-high four blocked shots The reliable Johnell Davis provided an efficient night once again, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting to pair with five boards Michael Forrest threw in 12 points off the bench without missing, going a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 3-of-3 from 3-point land Giancarlo Rosado chipped in nine points off the bench on 3-of-5 shooting, while Brandon Weatherspoon added eight on 3-of-5 shooting Despite not scoring, Alijah Martin was a big factor, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and dishing out a team-high five assists C-USA Tourney Next The top-seeded Owls will wait to face the No. 8 seed WKU or the No. 9 seed UTEP. Follow FAU on Social Media To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB. |
