Owls Win Thriller in Semifinals, Will Play for C-USA Championship Saturday

Friday, March 10

Frisco, Texas

12:30 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

-303,182 CUSA

Middle Tennessee

-1914,119 CUSA

Middle Tenn.

Fla. Atlantic

Photo by: Matt Pearce

Owls Win Thriller in Semifinals, Will Play for C-USA Championship Saturday

3/10/2023 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

FRISCO, Texas – In a thrilling 40 minutes of college basketball, the Florida Atlantic University Owls outlasted Middle Tennessee, 68-65, in the semifinals of the Conference USA Championship Tournament.

The top-seeded Owls advance to the Conference USA Championship Game for the first time in school history, and they will play UAB for the title tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. eastern time.

The Owls' only conference championship in school history came in 2001-02, when the school captured the Atlantic Sun Championship. The '01-02 campaign was also the program's only trip to the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament.

Today's game pushes the Owls to 30 wins, now standing at 30-3 in their incredible 2022-23 season.

A Fantastic Finish

A back-and-forth game culminated in a nail-biting last few minutes. With the score tied 57-57 and 3:08 remaining, Vladislav Goldin put the Owls ahead with a reverse lay-up. The Owls then got three stops in a row, and free throws from Jalen Gaffney and a bucket from Johnell Davis made it 63-57 with 58 seconds left.

Middle Tennessee refused to go away, knocking down a 3-pointer to pull within 64-62 with 27 seconds left, but a pair of free throws from Davis appeared to put it out of reach, 66-62. The Blue Raiders then hit a 3-pointer and got a foul call, pulling within 66-65 and setting up the dramatic finish.

With 13 seconds left, the free throw was missed, but the ball went out of bounds and back to Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders had a lay-up look but missed and got the rebound, yet Goldin denied the next attempt with the game-saving rejection, and Alijah Martin came down with the loose ball. Martin knocked down two free throws to go up, 68-65. Middle Tennessee had one final chance with two seconds left, and a heave from inside the half court line bounced off the back rim to send the Owls to the championship game.

Quotes from Coach May

"First of all, what a great college basketball game," FAU head coach Dusty May said. "It was a great environment with great intensity, and two teams going at it back and forth. We had some adversity, but our guys stayed the course and stayed together like they have all season, and just found a way to win."

Stats & Notes

Davis led FAU in scoring for the second-straight night with 18 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the floor to go with four rebounds and four steals
Martin recorded 17 points and six boards
Bryan Greenlee added 10 points and hit 4-of-5 free throws
A strong first half propelled the Owls to a 37-25 lead, but Middle Tennessee chipped away early in the second half
The Owls avenged one of their only three losses this season, which came at the Blue Raiders on Feb. 16, which was also their last loss

Championship Game Tomorrow

The Owls will face UAB in the Conference USA Championship Game on Saturday, March 11, with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Game time is 8:30 p.m. eastern, and it can be viewed on CBS Sports Network.

Selection Show Watch Party

FAU is hosting a Selection Show watch party on March 12 in Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. Fans are invited, doors are at 5 p.m. and admission is free.

Follow FAU on Social Media

To stay up to date on all things FAU men's basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.