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  • Florida Atlantic Takes Down In-State Rival USF In An American MBB Showdown

Florida Atlantic Takes Down In-State Rival USF In An American MBB Showdown

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Basketball

Florida Atlantic's men's basketball team took down in-state American Athletic Conference rival South Florida in a wire-to-wire 94-72 victory on Sunday at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

In their second consecutive victory by over 20 points, the Owls (12-10, 5-4 AAC) put on a stellar showing on both ends of the floor, shooting a season-high 56% from the field while holding the opposing Bulls (11-11, 4-5 AAC) to just 32.3%, their second-best defensive outing.

FAU leaned on a game-high 18 points from redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll and freshman center Matas Vokietaitis, the latter of whom recorded his career-high, and 44 total bench points.

FIRST HALF
The Owls jumped out to a lead and electrified the Elly early with each of their first five field goals coming from a different starter. Shortly after, the story became the Owls' bench, redshirt with Vokietaitis and redshirt sophomore guard Niccolo Moretti combining for 13 of the team's next 17 points.

Florida Atlantic built their first double-digit lead off a Kaleb Glenn bucket inside, eventually entering the locker room with a 46-35 advantage.

SECOND HALF
On the Owls' first offensive possession, a three-point play from Carroll set the tone for an early offensive start, sparking a 7-0 run that built the lead to 18. The Bulls cut the lead to nine points with 12 minutes to go before Florida Atlantic's offense responded with a 12-2 run. An alley oop to Vokietaitis in the closing seconds put an exclamation point on the team's rousing victory, their third straight at home.

Florida Atlantic held the Bulls to 24.2% shooting from the field in the last 20 minutes, allowing just eight field goals on 33 attempts.

STATS & NOTES

  • Carroll's 18 points came on 6-for-7 shooting. He also matched his career high in assists with five
  • Moretti scored 17 and dished out five assists
  • For the fifth time this season, Florida Atlantic tied their season high in blocks with six
  • The Owls outscored the Bulls 42-26 in the paint
  • Florida Atlantic won the assist battle 19-9


UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic will enjoy a few days off before a trip to Tulsa to take on the Golden Hurricane on Saturday, Feb. 8. Airing on ESPN+, the matchup will tip off at Noon EST.