Published On: Wed, Jan 11th, 2023

Owls Take Nation’s Second-Longest Winning Streak to FIU

Since the Florida Atlantic University Owls lost to Ole Miss on Nov. 11, FAU has been on a tear. The Owls’ 13-game winning streak is the second-longest streak in the nation this season, tied with UNC Wilmington and two games behind Charleston. The Owls head south for a Sunshine State battle against rival FIU on Jan. 11 looking to keep the streak alive.

The Owls are currently one of only six teams in NCAA Division I with just one loss (Houston, Purdue, Kansas, Kansas State, Charleston.) FAU gained steam in the national polls this week, receiving 33 votes in the AP Top 25 and 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Owls stand alone in first place in the Conference USA standings.
 
These two teams met just 24 days ago when the Owls took a 26-point blowout victory. Alijah Martin led all scorers with 18 points, while Johnell Davis tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Four Owls wound up in double figures against FIU, with Vladislav Goldin scoring 12 points and Michael Forrest recording 10.
 
Davis put forward a career day in the Owls’ Jan. 5 victory over UAB with a career-high 36 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor. Davis’ 36 doubled his previous career-high and are the fourth-most scored in a single game in FAU history, only three behind DeAndre Rice and Earnest Crumbley’s record of 39.
 
A key component to FAU’s success this season has been the Owls’ depth. FAU ranks No. 1 in the nation in bench points per game with an average of 36.9 ppg. The Owls tallied 56 bench points against UAB and 37 against Charlotte.
 
FAU has four players (Martin, 13.2 ppg., Davis, 11.4 ppg., Forrest, 10.6 ppg., Goldin, 10.4 ppg.) averaging double figures this season. The Owls also have six players averaging at least 20 minutes per game with Goldin right behind at 19.6.

About the Author

Discover more from The Boca Raton Tribune

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading