FAU Tops FIU, Sets Longest Winning Streak in School History

Saturday, December 17

Boca Raton, Fla.

2 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

-101,10 CUSA

FIU

-46,01 CUSA

FIU

Fla. Atlantic

12/17/2022 5:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The impressive early season start for the Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team continued Saturday, and the Owls made history once again. The Owls defeated FIU in the Conference USA opener by a final score of 79-53. The win marked the ninth in a row for FAU, which is the longest winning streak in program history, topping the 2010-11 team's previous record.

The Owls (10-1, 1-0 C-USA) have not lost since their second game of the season, which was on Nov. 11. Since the road win three days later at Florida, FAU has been on a tear in the school's longest winning streak. The win over the Gators was the only single digit win during that winning streak, and six of them have been by 20 points or more, including today's victory.

In today's game, the Owls and Panthers were in a defensive battle early in the first half. The Panthers pulled within 25-22 with just over six minutes remaining in the half, but the Owls went on their patented big run, this time with a huge 17-0 stretch to seize a 44-25 lead heading into the locker room.

Johnell Davis took over after coming in off the bench during that final first-half run. Davis recorded eight of the Owls' 17 points during that stretch, providing a key spark off of a very deep FAU bench.

Quotes From Coach May

"I thought we played really aggressive defense; we forced 23 turnovers," FAU head coach Dusty May said. "In a game against a rival, our shots weren't dropping. We didn't shoot as well as we typically do, so for us not to shoot the ball [well] and still find a way to score enough points and tighten up defensively, I'm very proud of our guys."

Stats & Notes

Alijah Martin led the Owls in scoring for the third-consecutive game with 18 points, including a pair of acrobatic finishes on and-one lay-ups
Davis recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds while adding three assists. Davis' 10 boards led the team
Vladislav Goldin recorded 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field to pair with eight rebounds
Michael Forrest recorded 10 points and three steals
Giancarlo Rosado chipped in with eight points and four rebounds while not missing, going 2-for-2 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the free throw line
FAU had a massive edge on the glass with 42 boards compared to FIU's 26
The Owls had a huge advantage on the bench, outscoring the Panthers 53-22 in that category
FAU shot 14-of-16 (87.5%) from the free throw line
The Owls are now 6-0 at home this season and 51-14 at home dating back to the start of the May era in 2018-19