DELAND, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Stetson squad Tuesday night at the Edmunds Center. The Hatters converted at a clip of 54.7 percent from the floor and hit a blistering 12-of-24 (50 percent) from 3-point range en route to a 78-69 victory over the Owls.
Stetson (1-4) grabbed a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes and never trailed. Christiaan Jones and Rob Perry each scored from behind the arc for the Hatters during the 10-point burst to start the contest. Stetson built a 13-point edge in the first half. FAU (4-3) cut it to five at one point, but trailed by nine at halftime, 39-30.
Stetson led by 11 early in the second half before the Owls rallied. FAU pulled within three points five minutes into the second half. A 10-2 outburst, capped by 3-pointers from Bryan Greenlee and Johnell Davis made the score 47-44 and forced a Stetson time out. But that’s as close as FAU could get.
The Hatters came out of that time out and scored eight straight over the course of two minutes. Just that quickly, the Owls’ deficit was 11 again, 55-44.
The Owls pulled within five with just under five minutes to go on a Jailyn Ingram bucket. Twice in the last four minutes, FAU cut the lead to six. But Stetson answered each time FAU pulled within two possessions.
Karlis Silins led the way for FAU with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Greenlee added 13 points, while tallying a team-high six rebounds and team-best four assists. Perry and Jones scored 19 and 17, respectively, to lead three Hatters in double figures.
FAU continued to take care of the basketball and force turnovers. The Owls only committed six giveaways, compared to 17 for Stetson. FAU held a 17-5 advantage in points off turnovers. FAU also held a 44-22 advantage in scoring in the paint. But the Hatters’ hot shooting was enough to overcome their ball-handling miscues, FAU’s pressure on defense and the Owls’ superior scoring inside.
On Tap
The Owls are slated to face Florida Saturday in Gainesville with tipoff set for Noon.
