In a game being marketed as the Boca Raton MegaBowl, FAU men’s basketball (3-1) defeated the Bryant University Bulldogs (3-1) 85-74 Thursday night in the recently-renamed Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton, Fla. 

“Bryant is a very good basketball team. They are well-coached, tough and gritty,” said head coach Dusty May. “We made the plays down the stretch that we needed to in order to win.”

The Owls struggled early on, shooting 38.7% from the field and 31.3% from three-point range and committing 10 turnovers, allowing the Bulldogs to hold the lead for most of the first half.

Despite their inefficiency shooting the ball, a solid performance from FAU’s bench in the first half kept the Owls in the game. A three-pointer from junior guard Bryan Greenlee tied the score, followed by junior guard Jalen Gaffney sinking two free-throws to put the Owls ahead 37-35 heading into halftime. 

Sophomore forward Giancarlo Rosado was the Owls’ leading scorer at halftime with six points, followed by senior guard Michael Forrest with five—both came off the bench for FAU.

The Owls went on a 16-2 run in the second half to take a 14-point lead, their largest of the night. Greenlee made his third three-pointer with 8:11 in the second half, moving the score to 67-53.

“I thought our plan was much better in the second half, our guys were very strong with the basketball,” said May. “They were able to get out of some tough double teams and make better decisions.”

Down 14, the Bulldogs went on a run of their own to slim the Owls’ lead to 72-70. Senior guard Charles Pride, who finished with 28 points, made a contested layup with 3:43 left in regulation, cutting the Owls’ lead to two. 

However, sophomore guard Alijah Martin ruined Bryant’s hopes of a late comeback as he nailed a three-pointer with 1:35 left in regulation, effectively sealing the win for the Owls. 

Martin finished the night as the Owls’ leading scorer with 15 points, shooting 38.5% from the field along with nine rebounds and three assists. Pride led the Bulldogs with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds. 

FAU will now prepare for a matchup with the University of Detroit-Mercy Titans on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the newly-renamed Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton, Fla. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on C-USA TV. 

Cameron Priester is the Sports Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @PriesterCameron