FAU men’s basketball returned to the Burrow coming from back to back away wins to get its first home win in 2018, 75-64 against the Charlotte 49ers Thursday.

Senior guard Justin Massey, gave the Owls (9-9, 3-3 Conference USA) an early lead in the game, contributing 17 points in the first half. He ended the game with 19.

FAU played a man to man defensive scheme, heavily guarding 49ers guard Jon Davis, who scored 25 points. As the game went on and FAU’s lead stayed in the double digits, it started to play more zone defense against Charlotte (5-12, 1-5 CUSA).  

“We stayed man to man, running and trapping Davis,” FAU head men’s basketball coach Michael Curry said. “That was the whole game plan, to really weigh him down.”

FAU lead at halftime 38-27 and had a continual lead throughout the game, with 14 being the largest gap in the second half with a score of 64-50

FAU not only dominated on the scoreboard but also in three point percentage, blocks, steals and rebounds. The only stat where Charlotte lead the game in was turnovers, with 16 compared to FAU’s 12.

Two blocks from senior forward William Pfister and a steal from graduate student guard Payton Hulsey prevented Charlotte from putting more points on the scoreboard.

“When Payton play, we’re a different ball club,” Curry said, as he attributed his team’s six-game losing streak due to the absence of Hulsey.  

FAU’s free throw average was at 36 percent, halting some of its scoring momentum during the game.

FAU will look to continue its winning streak at FAU Arena on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m. against Old Dominion.

Elyscia Saint-Hilaire is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].