FAU is back at home following a 2 game road trip and the Owls are feeling good, having won back to back AAC games. UAB also comes in on a 2 game win streak and after a rough start to their season they have looked to turn a page and will bring a battle to paradise.
Stay tuned for live updates as the game progresses.
1H first 4-
A battle developed early on in this one as both sides were able to hit their first shots of the day and the back and forth tussle ensued from there. UAB was able to jump out to an 8-4 lead after Yaxel Lendeborg extended back to back possessions, one of which he used to tip in and easy basket and the second he kicked out to Toney Toney for a triple, giving them the 2 possessions lead with 17:01 to play. Ken Evans Jr was able to respond to the run with a triple of his own on the possession after the Toney triple and heading into the U16 timeout with 15:59 to play. The early difference in this game was the 2 offensive rebounds for UAB which they translated into 5 points, if the Owls can clean that up, they are in a very good position.
1H U12 timeout-
UAB came out of the U16 timeout with a burst of energy, getting 3 straight buckets from Christian Coleman, 2 in transition and all of a sudden UAB led 14-7 and John Jakus was forced into a timeout with 14:20 to play. The Owls responded out of the timeout, becoming unconscious from beyond the arc for a brief period, getting triples on 3 consecutive possessions, 2 from Kaleb Glenn and another from KyKy Tandy and heading into the U12 timeout, FAU was leading 16-14 with 11:49 to play.
1H U8 timeout-
The Owls came out of the U12 timeout continuing their hot start from beyond the arc as KyKy Tandy converted another triple to give the Owls a 19-14 lead with 11:38 to play. UAB responded with a 9-1 run, briefly taking a 23-20 lead with 10:05 to play after a McGee triple and Toney drive to the rim, however FAU was ready to give a punch right back. The Owls responded with an 8-0 rub, getting buckets from Glenn and Walker and after 4-0 run from Tre Carroll the Owls took a 28-23 lead into the U8 timeout with 7:23 to play.
1H U4 timeout-
UAB came out of the U8 timeout determined, sparking a 12-0 run where they forced 4 FAU turnovers, which translated into 6 points. The Owls were able to stop the bleeding with a strong finish at the rim from Carroll, however heading into the U4 timeout with 3:23 to play FAU was trailing 35-30, with the big difference in the game being the Owls 7 turnovers compared to UAB’s 1.
Final 4-
The Owls were able to trade blows with UAB over the final few minutes, however they were unable to make a dent in the 5 point deficit which was what they were facing heading into the U4 timeout. Heading into halftime UAB held a 40-35 lead over the Owls.
Halftime thoughts-
The Owls were leading in shooting percentage, both from the field and beyond the arc at halftime and they were even on the glass at 24 rebounds a piece, however the difference in the game at halftime was 7 FAU turnovers to only one from UAB, which the Blazers were able to translate into 8 points, also scoring 11 points on second chance offensive rebounds.
2H U16 timeout-
FAU came out of the gates red-hot from the field, the only problem was that so did UAB and a back and forth battle wasn’t going to help FAU cut into the 5 point deficit. The Owls got 6 points out of Tre Carroll and buckets from 4 different players, however UAB was executing just as well and heading into the U16 both sides were shooting better than 60% and UAB was maintaining a 54-48 lead with 14:59 to play.
2H U12 timeout-
UAB came out of the U16 timeout with a 6-0 run, getting 3 buckets right near the rim which extended the Blazers lead to 60-48 and forced Jakus into a timeout with 13:02 to play. The Owls responded out of the timeout, getting back to back buckets down low from Matas and Kaleb Glenn went coast to coast off a steal, drawing a foul and giving FAU a chance to cut the lead to 6, heading into the U 12 timeout trailing the Blazers 60-52 with 11:27 to play.
2H U8 timeout-
After Glenn split the pair to cut the lead to 60-53, UAB responded with 3 straight points to extend their lead to double figures, 63-53 with 9:40 to play, however once again the Owls were ready to respond. FAU went on a quick 5-0 run, getting a triple from Moretti and a bucket from Carroll at the rim off of a turnover, which ignited the crowd and cut the Blazers lead to 63-58 heading into the U8 timeout with 8:32 to play, brought on early by a UAB timeout.
2H U4 timeout-
After the Owls cut it to 5, this became a battle once again, as out of the U8 timeout FAU went on a 6-1 run, tying the game at 64 a piece with 7:10 to go. Each side traded buckets back and forth over the next 3 minutes and chance, with no team gaining a lead larger than 3 and heading into the U4 timeout, UAB was maintaining a slim, 73-71 lead with 3:22 to play.
2H Final 4-
The Owls were able to take the lead with back to back converted pairs of free throws from Vokietaitis and Carroll, taking a 75-73 advantage with 2:58 to play, however UAB responded on both ends of the court. The Blazers converted 4 free throws of their own on their next 2 possessions, taking a 77-75 lead and the Owls were never able to answer back. UAB turned that into a 6-0 run overall, getting a bucket from Alejandro Vasquez and after Kaleb Glenn split a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 79-76, UAB went down and got a bucket from Christian Coleman right at the rim to put the Owls on ice, finishing off an 81-76 road victory.