Denton, Texas- It’s not FAU Vs North Texas in MBB unless fans are on the edge of their seats during at least one point of the game and Wednesday night was no different. The Owls were able to jump out to an early 12-0 lead, but UNT quickly battled back, starting off a back-and-forth battle which ended up with FAU coming out on top, 80-76.
Jason Edwards did his best to try to lead his team to victory, scoring 32 points, but Johnell Davis always seems to have his A-game against the Mean Green. He was on it once again tonight, as he scored 29 total, 21 in the first half to lead the way, but it was a team effort offensively that sealed the deal for the Owls.
Nick Boyd scored 13, Vlad Goldin scored 11, Giancarlo Rosado scored 9, Alijah Martin scored 8, Brandon Weatherspoon and Brenen Lorient had 5, which showed the true depth that FAU is able to deploy when the offense is clicking and built on the balanced performance we saw on Saturday against Tulane.
When Johnell quieted down in the second half, FAU was able to get scoring from other sources and the team was doing a good job at playing physical and getting to the free-throw line. FAU was able to shoot 30 free throws in total, 22 in the second half and when the game slowed down and could have gone in UNTs favor, the Owls were able to spin that around, attacking the paint and winning the free throw battle.
After the game, FAU Coach Dusty May explained how he was pleased with the team effort and the bench production in this one, and that although another battle with UNT was expected, his team stepped up when he needed them too.
“We’re excited to have a great team win on the road. So many players contributed, and we got some great bench production in the second half. It was a great college basketball game, back and forth, hard fought, guys making plays on both teams. We have so much respect for their program, they’ve been banged up all year and this is probably as close to as healthy as they’ve been, so we knew we had a dog fight in front of us. Fortunately, we made the plays when we needed to, especially the 2 late shot clock possessions were astronomical,” Coach May said after the game.
FAU has been able to dominate the paint over their past couple of games however early on in this matchup, it was guns blazing from deep for the boys from Boca.
Brandon Weatherspoon opened the game up with a triple, Davis followed that up with 2 of his own from three, and a few possessions later Alijah Martin cashed in from deep, and quickly the Owls were up 12-0 with 17:09 to play. FAU was controlling the pace, getting out in transition, and getting balanced scoring early, which were crucial factors to get an advantage on this hard-nosed foe.
A quick response was in store, as UNT responded to that with a 7-0 run and they were closing in early, but Nelly was on a roll. He responded to that with 2 buckets of his own, which gave him 10 early points and FAU was rolling offensively up 16-9 with 13:46 to play.
Quickly, UNT responded to that with an 8-2 run of their own, grabbing control of the pace and getting a team effort with 5 different players scoring. Cj Noland had 7 early points for the Mean Green, and he got to the line with 10:00 to play and brought UNT within 1, 18-17.
5 early turnovers quenched the hot start for FAU and allowed UNT to control the pace and get themselves right back into the game. It was a back-and-forth battle after the first few minutes, but the Mean Green were doing what they do and bullied their way back in the game. UNT had all the momentum, and a John Buggs layup with 7:18 to play gave them a 26-23 lead and the script was flipped.
It was one of those games for Davis, as he went on a 9-2 run of his own following that stretch for UNT. He was getting buckets in transition and from deep, his jumper with 4:32 to play put the Owls up 32-29 and gave him 21 first half points. The Owl’s leading scorer looked like he was feeling it early on and if you ask him, he absolutely was.
“Yeah, I ain’t gonna lie, I was. I saw the first 2 go in, then spoon hit me in the corner and got me going and I just went from there,” Davis said after the game.
Jason Edwards got going for UNT down the stretch as he scored 8 points in a 3-minute stretch to bring UNT within 1, 38-37 with 58 seconds left. Aaron Scott scored 5 straight points a few possessions later for UNT and it was capped off when he drew a foul on a near Full Court shot and his 3 free throws gave UNT the lead, 42-40, which was the score going into half.
After a red-hot start, the Owls cooled off a bit and UNT was able to get into their typical slow pace and momentum control. FAU turned it over 7 times in the first half, and after the beginning failed to get offense outside of Johnell Davis.
To start the second half UNT quickly extended their lead to 7, 47-40, on a Jason Edwards 3 point shot with 18:40 to play and it left the Owls needing a quick answer. Edwards finished with 32 on the night and was a key factor in UNT being able to lead during parts of this game, and after the game Coach May explained his big night was helped by FAU letting him get downhill.
“We were able to let him get downhill too many times, I thought we contested his threes for the most part. We fouled him a couple times early in the game which allowed him to see some free throws go in any time a shooter can knock down some free throws or easy baskets early in the game they tend to find their rhythm. He’s got some really unique qualities as a scorer and factor his ability to draw fouls at his size is special. We know what a tough cover he is,” Coach May said after the game.
The Owls got that answer by playing physical and getting to the free throw line. FAU got 5 straight from the line following the 7-point deficit, and 2 buckets from Vlad Goldin & Brandon Weatherspoon later, the Owls were back in the lead, 50-47, with 16:40 to play.
A see-saw affair ensued after that, and both teams were battling down low and getting to the line. Nick Boyd scored the next 8 straight points for the Owls, getting to the line twice and FAU was maintaining a one possession advantage. That lead finally was extended to 2 possessions on a Brenen Lorient triple with 9:55 to play which put the Owls up 61-55.
Johnell Davis had a huge first half, but it was role players providing key performances in the second half that sealed the deal for the Owls and after the game Davis explained how he looks to open the floor for his teammates when opponents try to contain him.
“I Just try to make the right play and get my guys going early so it can open up and go from there,” Davis said after the game.
FAU played hard over the final stretch of play, getting scoring from all different areas, and having a response for Edwards and John Buggs III offensive barrage for the Mean Green. The lead stayed at 2-3 possessions for FAU down the stretch, until UNT was briefly able to cut it to 3, 69-66, following a Buggs III triple with 2:41 to play.
That was as close as the Mean Green were going to get, as in the ensuing stanza Vlad threw down a ferocious jam which extended the lead back 2 possessions and the Owls never looked back. FAU was able to win the late free throw battle and out-physical UNT to a gritty, 80-76, victory on the road. With the win, FAU moves closer to locking in an At-Large bid for the NCAA tournament and also moves closer to clinching a top 2 seed in the AAC. Both of those things will be in play as the Owls take the court for the final time during the regular season on Senior Day, Saturday against Memphis in a game which will have many implications.
