Owls Rally Past WKU, 69-65

Thursday, January 30

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

-139, 54 CUSA

WKU

-147, 72 CUSA

WKU

Florida Atlantic

1/30/2020 10:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – A Jailyn Ingram putback was the key play in the Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team's 69-65 win over WKU on Thursday night. The Owls, who overcame an early 12-point deficit, improved to 13-9 overall and 5-4 in Conference USA play with the victory.

The Hilltoppers (14-7, 7-2 C-USA) scored the first 12 points of the game. FAU gradually trimmed the deficit, and a 6-0 run put the Owls ahead 28-26 with five minutes to play in the first half. WKU responded with a modest run and took a 33-30 lead into the halftime locker room.

Neither team led by more than six points in a second half that featured seven ties and five lead changes. The final tie came at 65-65 with 45 seconds to play after a pair of WKU free throws.

On the ensuing FAU possession, Ingram was able to grab the offensive rebound off of an errant 3-pointer and his layup gave the Owls a 67-65 lead with 21 seconds left. Cornelius Taylor blocked WKU's game-tying layup attempt off of a Hilltopper player, giving the ball back to FAU.

WKU was forced to foul, sending Richardson Maitre to tie line. Maitre made both of his free throws, sealing the win for FAU.

Notables

Ingram led the Owls with 16 points, along with six rebounds and two assists
Michael Forrest scored 12 points in addition to four assists and three boards
Taylor, Karlis Silins and Jaylen Sebree each had 10 points for FAU, giving the Owls five players in double figures for the first time against a Division I opponent since Feb. 9, 2019 at UTSA
As a team, FAU shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half
The Owls outrebounded WKU 24-13 in the second half and held a 40-32 rebounding edge for the game
FAU also got it done defensively in the final 20 minutes, holding the Hilltoppers to 35.5 percent shooting after halftime
The Owls had 17 second chance points to just nine for the Hilltoppers. FAU's bench outscored the WKU reserves 14-0
With the win, Dusty May becomes the fastest coach to 30 wins at FAU since the Owls moved to the Division I level

Quotables

FAU Head Coach Dusty May
"I'm very pleased with how we were able to battle back after a poor start. We got contributions from a lot of different players. Jailyn Ingram didn't have one of his better games, but he made winning plays late."

FAU junior forward Jailyn Ingram
On his go-ahead putback layup…
"I knew all eyes were going to be on Cornelius. He's a big shot maker and taker, but I just wanted to put myself in position, in case he missed, to get the rebound and go back up."

What's Next

FAU will host Marshall on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and is Military Appreciation Day. All active military members (with ID) will receive discounted admission. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, live stats will be available at fausports.com, and the game can be heard on FOX Sports 640AM. Live updates will be posted to the team's official Twitter account, @FAU_Hoops.