Owls Come Up Short Against Tulane

Sunday, January 4

New Orleans, La.

1 p.m. ET

Florida Atlantic

9-6,1-1American

Tulane

11-4,2-0American

Fla. Atlantic

Tulane

Photo by: Tulane Athletics

1/4/2026 4:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ben Paul

NEW ORLEANS – In a game that came down to the buzzer, the Florida Atlantic men's basketball team fell to Tulane by a score of 69-66 on Sunday afternoon.

A strong offensive start for the Owls (9-6, 1-1) against the Green Wave (11-4, 2-0) turned into a defensive battle. Neither team was able to pull ahead in a matchup that had 14 lead changes and 10 ties. FAU built a late second-half advantage before a Tulane 7-0 run closed the game in the final two minutes.

FIRST HALF
A back-and-forth start saw four Owls score the team's first four buckets. Junior forward Xander Pintelon soon heated up with seven straight points to give him 10 in the opening half and a 28-25 lead with six minutes to go.

The teams traded scores throughout the first 20 minutes, with nine lead changes and five ties. With the game tied at 32 apiece, the Owls held the Green Wave without a point for the final three minutes and found four points of their own to finish the period up 36-32.

SECOND HALF
Back-to-back buckets and an additional free throw from sophomore guard Isaiah Elohim put the Owls up by seven in the opening two minutes. The Green Wave responded to close the gap to one before Elohim hit a jumper to give him seven points in the half.

A tie game was broken by a 9-0 Owls run, bookended by slam dunks from sophomore forward Maxim Logue. Tulane again brought itself back, taking the lead on a three-point play at the rim with just under six minutes remaining. Florida Atlantic went right back up after four straight free throws from redshirt sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool, holding a 66-62 lead with 2:27 on the clock.

Following seven straight points from the Green Wave to go up three, the Owls got the ball back with 10 seconds left off a block from Vanterpool, but could not convert a tying bucket.

PRESS CONFERENCE

STATS & NOTES

Elohim led the Owls with 13 points, his seventh straight game in double figures and a team-best 10th on the season. He also hauled in a career-best nine rebounds.
Vanterpool tied his collegiate career high in blocks with three.
Junior guard Kanaan Carlyle had a balanced game, scoring 10 points to go with seven rebounds, two steals, and a game-high four assists.
The Owls won the battle of the boards with 43 rebounds to the Green Wave's 28.
Florida Atlantic outscored Tulane in the paint, 38-28.

UP NEXT
The Owls remain on the road for a trip to Birmingham, facing UAB on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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.