Owls Bring Down Tigers at the Elly

Thursday, January 29

Memphis, Tenn.

8 p.m. ET

Florida Atlantic

Memphis

Photo by: Jack Williams

1/11/2026 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Ben Paul

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic men's basketball team attacked the rim and used an explosive second half to defeat Memphis by a score of 89-78 on Sunday afternoon at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

The Owls (11-6, 3-1) took an early lead over the Tigers (7-8, 2-1) and never relinquished it, led by a double-double from redshirt sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool, who flirted with a triple double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, as well as redshirt sophomore forward Devin Williams who tallied a career-high seven blocks.

FIRST HALF
Behind a 7-0 run in less than a minute, the Owls jumped out to a 9-4 advantage. Multiple blocks from Williams and a triple by Vanterpool helped stretch the lead to 14-8.

FAU held on to remain up for the rest of the half, with Williams adding two more blocks for four total in the half to go along with seven points. The lead grew to as much as nine off a three-pointer from sophomore guard Isaiah Elohim from the left corner before the Tigers closed the gap to 36-34 at halftime.

SECOND HALF
Junior forward Xander Pintleon took command to open the final period, converting an and-one on the first possession and adding five more to put the Owls back up to nine. Back-to-back scores from junior guard Kanaan Carlyle then gave Florida Atlantic its first double-digit lead that extended to as much as 17.

The Tigers had a late rally, cutting the lead to single digits, but the Owls staved it off with Vanterpool finding Williams for multiple highlight dunks. Florida Atlantic converted seven free throw attempts in the final three minutes to ultimately put the game away.

PRESS CONFERENCES

GALLERY

Gallery: (1-11-2026) MBB vs. Memphis

STATS & NOTES

The Owls finished the day with a 46-29 rebounding advantage. Prior to this game, the Tigers had not been outrebounded by more than six on the season.
Williams' seven blocks are the most by an Owl in a game since March of 2018 and one shy of the program record eight.
Carlyle finished with 17 points, leading the team in scoring for the second game in a row.
Pintelon scored 11 of his 13 in the second half.
Four Owls hauled in at least five rebounds, led by Vanterpool's career-high of 11. He also set his collegiate career high with seven assists.

UP NEXT
The Owls remain at home for a matchup against Wichita State on Thursday, Jan. 15. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

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

Florida Atlantic's 2025-26 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.