KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The No. 19 Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team (3-1) took down Butler (3-2) in a 91-86 Thanksgiving Day battle on the opening day of the ESPN Events Invitational.
The Owls are moving on to the tournament’s semifinal following a balanced and efficient offensive attack that saw six players score in double figures and several recording career nights.
Florida Atlantic’s 2023-24 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura
FIRST HALF
From the opening tip, the Owls attacked the basket early and often, a slight departure from their tendencies of shots from beyond the arc. 32 of the team’s 46 points came in the paint and Florida Atlantic held a 12-4 advantage on second-chance points.
The Owls also a got spark off the bench from redshirt sophomore forward Tre Carroll as well as senior guard Jalen Gaffney, who combined for 17 points in the opening frame. The highlight of the half was partially thanks to Gaffney, who found junior guard Alijah Martin soaring for the alley oop dunk.
Thanks to a 60.6% shooting half, Florida Atlantic entered the locker room with a 46-42 lead.
SECOND HALF
The initial second half spark came from junior guard Johnell Davis, who scored five quick points. While the Owls fell behind, Martin quickly put an end to Butler’s lead with back-to-back three-point shots.
A back-and-forth then ensued. Down by two with just under eight minutes to go, the Owls responded with three consecutive three-point plays with and-ones for junior forward Vlad Goldin, Davis, and Carroll to put FAU up by six, a lead that they ultimately would not relinquish.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Dusty May
“This group, their character, their connectivity, their relationships with each other, it’s a special group and that has to be a competitive advantage for us because we are going to get everyone’s best shot. When you have the season we had, we are going to be a big game on team’s schedules, so if we are not as connected, they are going to be able to match our emotional energy every single game. Without a doubt, our togetherness and connectivity has to be our competitive advantage going forward.”
Junior Forward Vlad Goldin
“We talked in the locker room about what we have to do and how we have to play with some type of courage…We decided to play more aggressive inside the paint and that is what gave me confidence to make some shots.”
STATS & NOTES
- Goldin (19 points), Gaffney (14), and Carroll (11) all tied their FAU career-high in points. This is the third time this season in which Goldin scored 19, while the three scorers combined for 70% from the field (16-23)
- Carroll’s 11 points came from just nine minutes on the court
- Davis (15), Martin (13), and Bryan Greenlee (11) rounded out the double-digit scoring Owls, with Martin tallying his season high
- Florida Atlantic won the rebounding battle 37-31. Dating back to the start of last season, the Owls are now 32-0 when they have the advantage on the boards. Goldin led the way with 11 for his second double-double of the season while Davis added nine
- FAU took advantage of their second chance opportunities, outscoring Butler 17-9
- The Owls took away the ball 10 times among four different players with Martin and Brandon Weatherspoon recording three steals and Davis and Greenlee each nabbing the ball away twice
UP NEXT
With an extremely short turnaround, the Owls will take on No. 12 Texas A&M (5-0) tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 24, with tip-off scheduled for 11 a.m. EST. A spot in the tournament’s championship on Sunday is on the line. The game will be aired on ESPN2.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.
