It took very little time for the Owls of Florida Atlantic (4-10) to assert dominance over Warner Southern (8-4), a team that appeared overmatched for the entirety of the contest.
The Owls were comfortably ahead after a 15-0 run in the opening minutes of the game — spurred on by seven early points from guard Pablo Bertone.
FAU was helped by an awful shooting night by their opponent. The Royals of Warner Southern shot just 22 percent from the floor, totaling just 13 field goals. A significant amount of the Warner Southern points came by way of the free-throw line, where they shot 18-24.
Florida Atlantic shot a respectable 53 percent from the field, and four Owls (forward Justin Raffington, guard Marquan Botley, forward Javier Lacunza, and Bertone) scored in double figures. Botley led the team with 17 points on the night.
FAU helped its own case by winning the rebound battle 61-24, using their size advantage — Warner Southern had no players over 6-foot-7 — to grab 20 offensive rebounds. The seven blocks is also a team record.
The 34-point win ends a four game losing streak for the Owls. FAU will now play a road game versus an 11-3 Louisiana Tech squad on Jan. 9, the first conference game of the year.
Note: Sophomore guard Jackson Trapp did not play in the win, but did not seem to have an injury. Replacing Trapp was sophomore forward Lacunza, who scored 11 points and secured five rebounds.
Wesley Wright is the Sports Editor for the University Press. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @NotEvenWes.
