| BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball had five players with eight or more points in defeating Lynn, 69-54, on Monday night at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena, in the squad’s only exhibition of the preseason. QuotableHead Coach Dusty May: “It was great to be back in front of our home fans tonight. I was happy with the way we rebounded the ball and played with toughness down the stretch.” The BeginnningFAU started out the game by scoring 12 of the first 16 points, leading by that eight-point advantage at the first media timeout. From that point to the halftime break, it never became a one-possession game, and the Owls took a six-point edge into the locker room at 32-26. The Turning PointLynn hit a 3-pointer for the first points of the second half, cutting it to three, but a quick 8-0 Owl run in the span of 1:37 turned the momentum back to the home team. Everett Winchester hit a bucket in the paint; after a steal, Alijah Martin knocked down a three; and following a missed Lynn jumper, Martin hit another ‘3’ off an assist from Vladislav Goldin to make it 40-29. The FinishIt remained a single-digit ballgame for just a couple of possessions in the following four minutes, and the FAU lead ballooned to as many as 16 on three occasions. Alejandro Ralat’s nice drive and lay-in with under 30 seconds left capped the scoring, as nine of the 10 Owls that saw action made it into the scoring column. Owl StatsMichael Forrest led the way with 13 points, with Giancarlo Rosado right behind him, scoring 11 of his 12 points in the second half. The second-year freshman was 4-of-5 from the field and scored his dozen in 15:19 of actionMartin was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 on 3-pointers) along with nine rebounds. He recorded two blocked shots as wellMadiaw Niang added nine points and Winchester eightThe Owls outrebounded the Fighting Knights, 49-27, and outshot their opponents, 47.2% to 32.2%Points in the paint was very much in FAU’s favor as well, 38-16What’s NextThe Owls’ 2021-22 regular season tips off next Wednesday, Nov. 10, at New Mexico. The team’s home opener is three days later, Saturday, Nov. 13, hosting Warner at 4 p.m. |
