FAU hung on through a slow second half to win a key conference game against Old Dominion, 80-73

The Owls held the lead for most of the game, including a 40-25 lead with 2:28 to go in the first half. That hot start carried them the rest of the way.

Old Dominion chipped away at the lead down the stretch, cutting its deficit to as low as three in the second half.

FAU forward Xavian Stapleton was phenomenal off the bench tonight, dropping a game-leading 23 points in his team’s victory. Richardson Maitre contributed 13 points of his own to go along with four rebounds and five assists.

“Xa was incredible (on) both sides of the ball,” said FAU Men’s basketball head coach Dusty May. “Made hustle plays, made toughness plays..he made shots, he defended, he tracked down loose balls.”

The Owls had four double-digit scorers on the night, Michael Forrest and Anthony Adger joining the aforementioned Stapleton and Maitre with 12 and 13 points respectively.

Simeon Lepichev brought energy to the Owls front-court, chipping in nine points, four rebounds and an assist.

The Owls shot 51 percent from the field, including 57 percent from deep.

“Our guys are much better shooters than (what) their percentages say, so it was nice to see them be rewarded for the work they’ve been putting in,” said May.

FAU (11-5, 2-1 CUSA) will be back in action this Saturday, facing off against the Charlotte 49ers. Tip off against the Conference USA rivals is at 4 p.m. in the Burrow.

Colby Guy is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @thatguycolbs