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Men's Basketball
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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Owls Dive into Conference Play
12/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2006
BOCA RATON, FL -- After an eighth-consecutive home victory the Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team will travel to its southern neighbor and face in-state conference rival Florida International on Thursday before returning home to face Western Kentucky on Saturday.
FAU last met Florida International in Miami, FL where the Golden Panthers squeaked-out a 65-62 victory in the 2004-05 season opener. Derrick Simmons was the only current Owl on that team, playing 12 minutes while going 0-for-2 from the floor and finishing with one point and one rebound. FIU has no players on its current roster who appeared in the contest.
Quinton Young led the way for the Owls with 26 points while Robert Williams grabbed 11 rebounds. Florida International finished with three players scoring in double-figures, led by Ivan Almonte's 16. Byron Burnett grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. The two teams combined for 52 turnovers in what was a back-and-forth contest.
This year's Owls squad welcomed back Paul Graham against UMKC, although he was held to a single-digit point total for the first time this season (four points). Graham is currently averaging 15.3 points per game, and his performance will be crucial as FAU looks to establish itself in the Sun Belt early on in conference play.
Derrick Simmons grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds against the Kangaroos in 36 minutes, also a career-best. He registered his first-career double-double, going 8-for-9 from the floor. An impressive performance considering he was the tallest FAU player on the court for a majority of the game at 6-6, and gave up seven inches to the Kangaroo starting center. Brent Crews has scored 29 points in his last three games since being freed up to play on the wing by the play of Avery Holley at the point.
FAU (5-6, 1-0 SBC) is shooting 45.7 percent from the floor as a team, while allowing opponents to shoot 48.9 percent. Opponents hold a +3.9 rebounding edge. The Owls have used nine different starting lineups in their 11 games this season. The Owls are 1-6 on the road this season after going 5-8 on the road last year.
The Golden Panthers (6-5, 1-0 SBC) have won three in a row after a 90-74 win over Palm Beach Atlantic on December 22nd. Alex Galindo posted his second-consecutive double-double with career-highs in points (24) and rebounds (14). Johwen Villegas leads the team at 12.9 points per game, while Galindo averages 11.5 and Dejon Prejean adds 11.3 per contest. FIU's leading rebounder is Galindo at 5.7 boards per contest.
FIU is shooting 41.0 percent as a team while allowing opponents to shoot 46.4 percent. Opponents hold a +2.7 rebounding edge and are averaging 70.7 points per contest. Florida International is 4-0 at Pharmed Arena this season.
Western Kentucky University (9-4, 1-1 SBC) picked up its first conference victory of the season against South Alabama on December 22, 73-51 in Bowling Green, KY. The Hilltoppers had three players finish in double-figures, led by Courtney Lee's 15 points and eight rebounds. WKU had lost three games in a row before the victory, including the conference opener against North Texas, 86-85.
Lee leads the team at 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. Tyrone Brazelton is the only other player averaging double-figures at 11.1 per contest. Jeremy Evans also averages 5.2 boards per game.
WKU is shooting 48.4 percent from the floor while allowing opponents to hit 44.4 percent of their shots. The Hilltoppers are deadly from long range, hitting an amazing 40.5 percent of their shots from behind the arc as a team, and have five players shooting 40 percent or better with at least 10 attempts, led by Ty Rogers at 47.7 percent. WKU has made 31 more three-point attempts than its opponents in just 20 more attempts. Western Kentucky also holds a +1.5 rebounding advantage and averages 79.0 points per contest.
FIU holds an 11-5 series edge over the Owls and has won four of the last six meetings. This will be the first meeting between Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky.
Saturday's game against WKU at FAU Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. Doors open one-hour prior to tip-off. Both games can be heard on WMEN 640 AM with the voice of the Owls, Evan Cohen.
Season tickets are still available for FAU men's and women's basketball. Fans can also purchase individual game tickets ($10 general admission for adults, $7 for youth/seniors) or as a group ($5/ticket for groups of 15 or more). Tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster, on FAUsports.com, at the FAU Box Office located next to the Tom Oxley Athletic Center on the Boca Raton campus, or by calling 1-866-FAU-Owls. Tickets will also be available in the lobby of FAU Arena once doors open. There is no charge for parking during FAU men's and women's basketball games.
Players Mentioned
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