On Monday night, FAU men’s basketball (2-1) held off the University of Florida Gators (2-1) comeback to secure an upset victory in Gainesville.

“This win shows that we can weather some storms and stay composed,” said head coach Dusty May, who was an assistant coach at Florida from 2015-2018.

Senior guard Michael Forrest led the way for the Owls’ offense, scoring 20 points in 28 minutes off the bench. Sophomore guard Johnell Davis posted his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

FAU trailed by as many as seven points in the first half, as the Gators led 10-3 at the 15:32 mark after sinking a three-pointer. By the 12:52 mark, FAU had taken the lead thanks to Forrest knocking down a key three-pointer.

Back and forth action ensued with the Gators tying the score a few times and taking a brief lead. The Owls went to the locker room with the score tied at 35 apiece.

The thought of reality sinking in for the Owls came to mind when the Gators took a 51-41 lead early in the second half. After a flat start to the half, FAU kicked into another gear and rallied down 10 to take the lead.

Sophomore guard Alijah Martin nailed a three-pointer that gave his squad a 57-55 lead. FAU boasted a 14-point lead at one point before UF began rallying back. The Gators cut the Owls’ lead to two points with 13 seconds left.

After a back-and-forth battle, FAU held on for the victory to secure what may go down as its biggest win of 2022. The two teams hadn’t met since 2010, with Florida having won all three prior contests. 

“We’ve been through some growing pains and have lost a few close games like this against Power Five teams in the past that we probably played well enough to win but didn’t get it done,” said May. “Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.”

The Owls will return to action at home on Thursday, Nov. 17, against the Bryant University Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on C-USA TV. 

Kevin Garcia is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email him @[email protected], or tweet him @kevingar658.