The #24 FAU Owls (19-1, 9-0 C-USA) continued their dominance in conference play with a 67-59 victory over the University of Texas at El Paso Miners (UTEP)(11-9, 4-5 C-USA) Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

“Our guys can walk into any environment and match the other team’s toughness, energy and determination,” said head coach Dusty May after finishing their three-game road trip with their winning streak intact.

FAU started the first half strong with a 12-point scoring run in the first six minutes. Sophomore guard Johnell Davis sank his first three-pointer of the night off an assist from junior guard Bryan Greenlee, which left the Owls ahead 17-5 midway through the first half.

Davis hit another attempt from behind the arc with 54 seconds to play in the first half which extended FAU’s lead to 35-22.

Despite the low score at halftime, the Owls had an efficient first half, shooting 50% from the field and 44.4% from three-point range. Davis was the Owls’ leading scorer at halftime after contributing 12 points to the first half score.

FAU continued to extend their lead into the second half. With 11:18 to play regulation, sophomore forward Giancarlo Rosado made a contested layup, which pushed the Owls’ lead to 15. FAU took their biggest lead of the night at 16 points after Davis made a jumper with 9:54 to play in the second half.

Despite being outscored 35-30 in the second half, FAU was able to hold on to their lead. Sophomore center Vladislav Goldin drew a foul and made both free throw attempts with 35 seconds in regulation, which moved their lead to 12 and effectively sealed the Owls’ eighteenth straight victory. 

As a team the Owls shot 42.6% from the floor and 37.5% from three-point range. Davis ended the night as leading scorer with 20 points and six rebounds. Goldin also contributed 11 points and six rebounds.

“For our guys to go on this road trip in this swing of five games in 11 days…and come away with five wins is a testament to their determination and character more than anything else,” said May.

The Owls will now look to continue their winning streak against the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders (13-7, 6-3 C-USA) at home Thursday, Jan. 26. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. 

Nicole Vogt is a contributing writer at the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories email her at [email protected], or tweet her @nicole_nikkiv.