Men’s Basketball: Owls dominate Charlotte in 96-67 victory at home
The Owls’ 29-point victory over Charlotte is their largest against the 49ers in the matchup’s history.
Michael Forrest steps up against a Charlotte defender on January 17, 2022. Forrest finished with 16 points in the victory.
January 17, 2022
The FAU Owls (9-8, 2-2 C-USA) snapped their two-game skid Monday afternoon following an assertive performance against the Charlotte 49ers (9-6, 2-1 C-USA) in arguably their best game of the season so far.
FAU came out swinging and took a 13-3 lead within five minutes of the opening tip-off, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. Freshman center Vladislav Goldin’s six points and two rebounds in the first few minutes highlighted a strong opening run for FAU.
As the half progressed, FAU continued to be relentless on both ends of the court.
Offensively, the Owls were stellar particularly from three-point range. They went 8-10 from deep, as freshman guard Alijah Martin led the way with three and junior guard Michael Forrest had two in the half.
The ball movement was also high-flying for the Owls as they totaled nine assists by the end of the half, led by graduate guard Everett Winchester’s three.
Beyond their 62.1% shooting in a 49-point half, the Owls’ defense slowed down Charlotte’s offense to a 43.5% shooting performance as well as forcing four turnovers from the 49ers.
The Owls carried a 49-35 lead going into the second half with the bulk of the momentum, and they continued their dominance for the remainder of the game.
Goldin began the scoring for the Owls just over a minute and a half following a swift assist from Forrest. Winchester then picked up his second steal, which would eventually lead to Forrest hitting another three-point shot. From then on, it was smooth sailing for the Owls.
Following their 13-2 scoring run in the first five minutes of the second half, the Owls continued to maintain a lead of at least 20 points for the rest of the game.
As the game concluded with a 96-67 scoreline, the Owls finished with seven players draining at least one three-point attempt as well as four finishing with over 10 points.
The Owls’ only consistent threat from Charlotte was junior guard Jahmir Young, who contributed 30 points in the game for the 49ers. Senior guard Austin Butler was the only other player to finish with over 10 points in the game, eventually scoring 13 for Charlotte.
Following the huge victory, coach Dusty May shared his thoughts on the offensive showcase.
“We simply attacked and took what the defense gave and obviously made really good individual space with good spacing. Overall, we just played good and solid offensive basketball,” May said.
The Owls’ 29-point victory over Charlotte is their largest against the 49ers in the matchup’s history.
The Owls continue this week’s homestand on Thursday, Jan. 20, as they face off against Western Kentucky at 7 p.m. in the Burrow at Abbesino Court. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Eston Parker III is the lead photographer for the University Press. For more information regarding this story and others, email him at [email protected] or tweet him @estonparker.
