Florida Atlantic men’s basketball (16-13, 8-8 AC) came out on top against the Temple Owls (15-13, 7-8 AC) in an exhilarating battle in the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena that went down to the wire, winning 77-73.
Yesterday’s win meant FAU had swept the season series against Temple. This win also boosts their conference record to 8-8, firmly placing FAU among the top 10 seeds and qualifying for the American Conference tournament.
Kanaan Carlyle led FAU with 22 points, his first 20-point game since Jan. 7 against UAB. Xander Pintelon was the Owl’s second leading scorer with 12 points.
The last matchup between these two teams was on Jan. 18, where FAU survived a close game with a 79-73 victory in the Liacouras Center.
The game was back-and-forth, with Temple going on big runs to put them on top to end the first half. However, FAU started the second half on an 8-0 run to give them a 45-44 lead. FAU rode that momentum to a huge win, marking their second win in three games after a six-game losing streak.
FAU jumped out to an early lead with guard Josiah Parker scoring the game’s first points on a layup and guard Kanaan Carlyle scoring a three right after. However, Temple quickly responded with a barrage of baskets from guards Derrian Ford and Aiden Tobiason.
Temple guard Gavin Griffiths was also dominant, scoring 14 points in the first half alone on perfect shooting, including hitting four threes. Both he and Ford were in double digits scoring to end the half as Temple led FAU 44-38.
However, the tempo shifted as FAU came out blazing to start the second half. Baskets from forward Devin Williams and Carlyle, as well as two blocks from guard Amar Amkou, set the tone for the second half as FAU sparked an 8-0 run. run.
Carlyle emphasized this run, saying, “We knew we had to be aggressive. We knew, being down at half, we had to come out and be aggressive and set the tone.”
FAU continued to excel in the second half, at one point being up by 10. Carlyle and Parker both converted on layups they were fouled on during this run, with guard Yohann Sissoko also hitting a three.
Tobiason and Derrian Ford led the second in scoring for Temple, with Tobiason ending the game with 19 points and Ford with 20 points. FAU was still in control, however, as they led 72-67 with three minutes left.
Slowly, Temple began to chip into the lead, cutting it to a one-point game. Temple Guard Derrian Ford dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds, which led to Amkou sealing the game with a layup plus a foul.
FAU head coach John Jakus was impressed by how well his team did the little things:
“Second half, they made zero threes. We made nine free throws, they made seven… 11 offensive rebounds to five, all those things in the box score that you need to look down and say, that’s what winning is.”
Parker understood that this was a big win for the young FAU squad, emphasizing how close games like these help the team develop:
“I feel like games like this, you’ve got to take and learn, and learn how to finish games. We’re still young and make mistakes here and there, so I feel like every day it’s a new learning process,” he said. “If you watched us from the beginning of the semester, we’ve definitely gotten better, and we’ll continue to.”
FAU will hit the road and travel to the Dale F. Halton Arena to face the Charlotte 49ers on Sunday, March 1; tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
Julius Demosthenes is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For more information on this and other stories, email him at [email protected]
