FAU came out of the gates with strong energy and built on it throughout the game as they defeated temple 80-68, behind the usually raucous home crowd. It was a team effort, as the Owls had 5 players score in double figures and were led by Johnell Davis who scored a quiet 17 & Alijah Martin right behind him with 16.
“First of all, I want to shout out our crowd and the student section. I thought the energy was off the charts once again, students were here early and they’re bringing a lot of positive energy to the group. I thought for about 8-10 minutes we played as well as we’ve played in a long time, but we couldn’t sustain the run. We missed 5 straight free throws; you look at the flow of the game and you get in a rut from the line where you’re not able to capitalize. We got something out of this experience, Temple has some strengths that can expose some things that we are not. I thought down the stretch guys really sat down, they were active in the gaps, they supported each other and found ways to get crucial stops especially down the stretch,” Coach Dusty May said after the game.
Temple came out of the gates strong, hitting 4 of their first 6 including 3 from deep to jump out to an 11-7 lead with 16:20 to play in the first half.
That lead didn’t hold for long, as the FAU offense was ready to match the early intensity from temple. Alijah Martin and Nick Boyd hit back-to-back triples and FAU jumped out to a 15-11 lead with 14:39 to play in the first half.
Both sides of the Owls came out with an early explosive energy, and it made for fun basketball throughout the first half. Alijah Martin had 10 early points, and his 2nd triple of the half was a part of an 8-0 run that helped the Owls go up 27-15 with 11:07 to play.
FAU was helped by a barrage of triples early, as Brandon Weatherspoon, Nick Boyd, and Alijah Martin all had multiple triples in the first half and that helped open the floor for better looks across the court.
Giancarlo Rosado suited up for the first time in about a month, returning from his sprained knee. He checked in at the 9:14 mark and contributed an offensive rebound and showcased his nifty big man passing skills. He subbed out at the 6:45 mark, but it was important to get him back in the swing of things as early as possible. After the game Coach May spoke on Rosado’s return and how he is able to impact the team.
“He does so much. Emotionally for us, he’s such a positive guy. Brings great energy, physicality, toughness and also communication on both sides of the ball. When he’s in we usually get better shots, because he can pull the other big away from the rim like their big was able to do and he can quarterback on offense. It was great to have him back, it just gives us another weapon down the stretch. Each night is going to feel a little bit differently, but we’re just going to have to find ways to win,” Coach May said.
FAU was able to hold a 10-point lead or more for the remainder of the first half and Nick Boyd hit his 4th triple of the half to give FAU a 45-28 lead with 2:29 to play.
FAU didn’t score over the final 2:29 and allowed Temple to get a bit of momentum. The Owls from Philadelphia closed the half on a 6-0 run, and the score at the break was 45-34.
Vlad Goldin scored the first 3 points of the half for FAU which included an emphatic alley-oop Dunk to help the Owls of Boca Raton to start regaining momentum early in the second half.
Temple was ready to match FAU as Stevie Settle and Jordan Riley got in rhythm and the lead was cut to 50-44 with 16:49 to play. Johnell Davis responded with a triple of his own, but 2 straight triples from Hofman and Picarelli for Temple cut the lead to 53-49 and forced Dusty May into a timeout with 15:22 to play in the ball game.
The battle in the burrow ensued over the next stanza of basketball, as the lead held at about 2-3 possessions in favor of FAU. Both sides of the Owls were doing a great job of getting good looks, FAU was aggressive down low, leading to strong looks for Vlad and Tre Carroll. FAU was up 57-51 with 11:07 to play, and neither side was making it easy. There were many Owl’s helping out along the way tonight, and after the game Coach May commented on everyone’s effort.
“I thought Jalen Gaffeny was great. He just makes us better, 5 rebounds 2 assists and he had a plus 20. Brandon Weatherspoon is an emotional leader, it’s awesome to see him getting his production back up. I thought his 3 steals were the separators… that’s our team, the unsung heroes, are ultimately why we’re in a position to compete for a championship,” Coach May said.
As the clock approached the final 5 minutes, it remained a dual through and through. Sam Hofman hit his 4th triple of the ball game with 9:11 to play, Jordan Riley & Hysier Miller followed that up with their own baskets and the lead was cut to 60-58 with 7:50 to play.
Brandon Weatherspoon was quick to respond for FAU, as he scored 5 straight of his own to help FAU open the lead back up to 65-58 with just under 7 minutes to play.
FAU was able to capitalize on momentum following that stretch. Johnell Davis scored 7 straight of his own and set the student section ablaze when his shot put FAU up 72-60 with 3:55 to play.
FAU never looked back following those 2 crucial runs from Davis and Weatherspoon. Giancarlo Rosado checked back in and provided his usual boost of physicality, resulting in an offensive rebound and bucket that put FAU up 74-62 with just under 3 minutes to play.
“They were playing small ball. We know what our Achilles heel is on defense, Vlad protects the rim and sometimes we over-help and get sucked in. That happened a few times, he (Hofman) went 4-4 (from 3) and so we felt like the best chance for us to win the game was to play Tre and Giancarlo and switch. I thought they did a great job on the guards, and to be honest Vlad when he switched, he did a really nice job on the guards defending, keeping them in front, forcing tough shots. He got sucked in off the ball, and it’s tough to change habits on the fly that he does every single day. It’s partly on our system, and it’s partly on us not being able to adjust on the fly. Credit temple, they made plays they found some mismatches, but I thought Tre and Giancarlo really sat down and played great defense and got some long rebounds,” Coach May said.
Although Temple was able to cut the lead down to single digits with just over a minute to play, FAU eventually shut the door on their Owl foes, winning by a score of 80-68.
FAU has 2 off days ahead of them before they go to face their cross-state rivals in USF. The Bulls are riding a 10-game win streak and the matchup has turned into a marquee affair, being broadcast on ESPN, Sunday at Noon.
