No. 24 FAU Cruises Past WKU, Wins 16th in a Row

Monday, January 16, 2023, was a monumental day for the Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball team. The Owls received their first ever top-25 ranking, by being named No. 24 in the Associated Press poll earlier this afternoon. FAU followed that up with a convincing 76-62 win over Western Kentucky, improving to 17-1 and 7-0 in C-USA play, and stretching its winning streak to 16 games, which is the second-longest in the nation this season.

Tonight, the Owls held a slim 34-33 lead at halftime, but outscored the Hilltoppers 42-29 in the second half. The Owls shot 14-of-26 (53.8%) from the floor in the second half and 5-of-10 (50%) from 3-point range. Johnell Davis took over down the stretch, scoring 12 points on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting from the floor in the second half. The Owls blew the game open with an 18-5 run to stretch a 51-50 lead into 69-55 with 6:11 remaining.

“We’re very pleased with our guys’ response in the second half,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “They tightened up defensively and made everything difficult for Western Kentucky. The rebounding advantage was probably as important as anything, which is a testament to our guys’ scrappiness and toughness.”

This marks the first win for FAU at WKU since 2012-13.

When it comes to the National Ranking, “Our players obviously acknowledged the ranking and are proud of it. They compete every minute of every practice and every game. When the lights come on and the clock is running, they just play basketball and do what they do, so that’s why all of the other stuff should not affect our performance night in and night out.” May said when asked about his team’s handling of being ranked No. 24 in the AP poll.