Winning cures all and for FAU they left their trip down south to FIU feeling a lot better than when they came in. The Owls and Panthers battled closely in the first half, however FAU came out of the gates with energy in the second half, extending their lead to double digits 10 minutes into the final frame and going on to win 88-77.
It was a much needed bounce back win for the Owls, as although they only finished 7 of 23 from beyond the arc, they found other ways to put the ball in the bucket, while limiting FIU on the other end. Most importantly for FAU they got back to getting diverse scoring, seeing 5 players with 8 or more points and being led by Tre Carroll and Kaleb Glenn off the bench, scoring 24 and 22 respectively.
It was another showing of grit for FAU, as despite trailing early on in the second half they continued to fight and this time they were able to pull out the win. A defining factor that is showing early on in this new regime of FAU is their willingness to battle to the end and according to FAU Coach John Jakus the Owls never quit and this win was a culmination of learning throughout the hard times.
“I don’t think that we’ve ever quit. And in each of the games, we’ve found a way to stay in them and then come down to one possession. The best thing about tonight is we found some margin and that they had to actually come foul us. So that’s what we want. We want to be ahead by 8 or 10. And then the other thing I’ll say is we’ve proven tonight, but our bench, we had 59 points off the bench. So if guys will just play defense and trust that whoever’s night is we’re going to go with them, I think that’ll be really special. So they’ve toughened through a lot living on the road for so long, and I’m proud of them for that,” Jakus said.
Upset city was brewing early into the second half as the Owls trailed, however FAU was resilient and dialed back their 3 point shooting, going from 15 attempts in the first half, to only 8 in the second half and using an aggressive mentality to put the Panthers away. The Owls had a size advantage and in the second half was where you really saw that flourish, as Baba Miller and Kaleb Glenn attacked the rim with success, finishing with 13 and 15 points respectively in the second half.
This Owls team is at its best when multiple players are contributing offensively and tonight that returned, however that was in large part due to their floor general Leland Walker. Walker finished with the 3rd most assists in a single game in FAU history, notching 12 assists to only 2 turnovers and although he finished with 2 points, he found a role to contribute in the offense and excelled.
The necessary adjustments were made in this one and it resulted in team centric basketball and a road win for the Owls. According to FAU coach John Jakus, those adjustments involved a shift to a drive focused offense and trust in their facilitator, Leland Walker.
“We did come out of a time out and say that we wanted a shot fake and drives. And then you could see two of the Atos, or sets we ran down the stretch was to get Kaleb on a shot fake and a rip drive to the rim. So I don’t know what it was for sure, but I think we’re hovering around like 29 of something from two, over 60 (percent) for sure. So attacking the rim was the adjustment in the second half. And then I just don’t think you can understate 12 assists from Leland Walker. You can’t call sets when they press the whole time. And so for him to really control that for us down the stretch, and then Nico to make some couple top twos. I thought the two point guard system, instead of the shooters with a point guard, was an outlet,” Jakus said.
In the second half of back to back games against Florida opponents it was the veteran Owl Tre Carroll leading the way as he finished with a career high 24 points on 9 of 14 shooting, also adding 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench. The Owls have been receiving boosts off the bench all year long whether it was from Carroll, Glenn, or Nico Moretti and tonight it was Carroll, who’s infectious energy led a much needed spark for FAU.
Carroll has excelled in his expanded role this year for FAU, averaging 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, while shooting 49% from the field in 14.4 minutes per game. According to Carroll, his success tonight was a result of a team centric approach and collective effort to want to bounce back from 3 straight losses.
“I think it was just a team effort, because we wanted to get a win really bad, you know, three straight losses really hit a nerve, so just trying to get back in the win column was the ultimate goal. And, you know, just want to stay winning. We all hate losing, so just the win is all that matters,” Carroll said.
The Owls will now have 5 off days to prepare for Jacksonville at home next Tuesday and it is a crucial stretch, as FAU will have 2 home tests next week before hitting the road to face Michigan State. FAU found their offensive mojo in this one, getting back to scoring by any means necessary, even if their shots from beyond the arc weren’t falling, also limiting a paint heavy FIU offense to under 50% from the field on the other end.
Back at home over the next 2 games, FAU will look to bounce back from beyond the arc while also continuing to improve the defense and find a way to build synergy on both ends of the court. Jakus would like to get preparation rolling as soon as possible, however the Owls will have finals on Thursday and Friday, but following that it will be all hands on deck as they look to finish the final home stand of non-conference play on a high note.
“These guys got two days of finals, which I know they don’t want to hear that on Thursday and Friday, but then we’ll get Saturday, Sunday, Monday, three full days to prep. It’d be nice to shoot in our home gym. We haven’t shot the three particularly well the last two road games, but at home, we hit 17 last time. But we’ll prepare, and then we’ll try to combine that shooting with some defense and see if we can’t do both on the same night. So we’re piecing together now, but we believe, with all our heart, that if these guys would just love each other the way they just did we are going to be just fine and we’ll find it, it might take a minute, we got 10 new guys but we’re going to find it,” Jakus said.
Cover Photo via- Keira Arimenta