No. 15 Florida Atlantic Records Wire-to-Wire Win over FIU

Wednesday, December 13

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

8-2,0-0AAC

FIU

3-8,0-0CUSA

FIU

Fla. Atlantic

12/13/2023 10:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ben Paul

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 15 Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team (8-2) took down FIU (3-8) by a score of 94-60 on Wednesday evening.

The Owls added one of their most impressive victories yet to their storied rivalry with the Panthers. Florida Atlantic never trailed as they shot a season high 64% from the field and held FIU to just 36% shooting.

Florida Atlantic's 2023-24 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.

First Half

The Owls took an early 12-2 lead with senior guard Brandon Weatherspoon setting the tone with an opening slam dunk.

Florida Atlantic forced six turnovers early on. Junior guard Johnell Davis continued to heat up from downtown with two consecutive three-pointers and finished the period with 14 points on 5-6 shooting.

FAU converted eight consecutive baskets toward the end of the half and went 16-26 from the field overall. The Owls kept finding the hoop with multiple highlights including back-to-back alley oop slams: one from Brenen Lorient to Vlad Goldin immediately followed by Lorient catching the lob from Bryan Greenlee.

The Owls would enter the locker room with a comfortable 43-20 lead, the least amount of points allowed in a half by Florida Atlantic this season.

Second Half

The second half began much like the first: a score from Weatherspoon. This time he outdid himself beginning the period with three consecutive triples to put the Owls up by 32.

It was all Owls the rest of the way, with the lead growing to as much as 37. In total, 13 FAU players saw action on the court, including redshirt junior guard Alejandro Ralat who made his season debut and finished an acrobatic reverse layup. Redshirt freshman forward Leo Beath added four points, his first scores of the season.

Quotable

Stats & Notes

This is the fifth time of the season Florida Atlantic reached 90+ points, one outing away from tying the previous season's mark
For the eighth game of the season, the Owls had at least four scorers with double digit points. Davis led the way with 16, followed by junior guard Alijah Martin with 14, and Weatherspoon and senior guard Bryan Greenlee adding 12 apiece
Davis also nabbed a season high four steals
Goldin, the nation's leader in field goal percentage, was perfect on the night with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting
FIU could not handle FAU in the paint, with the Owls outscoring the Panthers 48-20
The Owls dominated the rebound battle (43-27) and in assists (24-11)

Up Next

Florida Atlantic will head to Springfield, Massachusetts to take on St. Bonaventure (8-2) as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

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