BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team snapped its six-game losing streak with a win over Temple on Feb. 26, toppling their Owl counterparts 77-73 in an American Conference clash.
FAU (16-13, 8-8) overcame a six-point halftime deficit to secure the win despite guards Devin Vanterpool and Isaiah Elohim sitting out with injuries. The Owls also snapped a three-game home losing streak in sweeping the season series from Temple (15-13, 7-8).
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Kanaan Carlyle led the way for FAU with 22 points, including a free throw in the final seconds to seal the victory. Xander Pintelon scored 12 and Yohann Sissoko added 10 off the bench. Temple’s Gavin Griffiths and Derrian Ford each scored 20 points.
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“We’re thankful for what we have, and I think right now, we’re just going to celebrate this win,” FAU head coach John Jakus said.
FAU will be back in action on March 1 when it hosts the Charlotte 49ers. Here are takeaways from Thursday night’s win:
Amar Amkou steps up, hits clutch basket to seal FAU victory
The Florida Atlantic bench erupts after a big play during the win over Temple on Feb. 26 in Boca Raton.
With Vanterpool missing his third-straight game while nursing an ankle injury and Elohim out with an undisclosed injury, Amar Amkou drew the start.
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After scoring 14 points and hitting four three-pointers against North Texas on Feb. 22, Amkou delivered once again, scoring 8 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. He also converted a clutch and-one layup with 24 seconds left to give FAU a 3-point advantage that it wouldn’t relinquish.
“I think Amar has slid under the radar,” Jakus said. “He’s had some high highs. I thought [North Texas], his shooting kept us in the game for a good bit. Tonight, there was some toughness in there.”
Carlyle also applauded Amkou for his effort, and timely shot-making in the win over Temple.
“He was able to come in there and produce,” Carlyle said. “He has a great attitude, he’s a great kid, and he wants to play hard. We were all excited for him.”
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FAU scores 25 bench points, huge contributions from unlikely sources
It wasn’t just Amkou who stepped up for the Owls. FAU scored 25 points off the bench with two unsuspected sources of offenses providing the spark.
Prior to the matchup with Temple, Xander Pintelon had scored one point combined over his previous seven games and had been demoted from the starting lineup in favor of Josiah Parker. He scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor, and 2-for-3 shooting from three-point range. Ironically, the last time Pintelon scored in double-digits was also against Temple, when he scored 12 points in a 79-73 win on Jan. 18.
“Xander has not stopped working,” Jakus said. “Really, just a great guy. I like when good people find their success back, and he did that tonight.”
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As for Yohaan Sissoko, his 10 points marked just the third time this season he had scored in double-digits, behind a 20-point performance on Dec. 10 against Saint Leo and a 15-point outing against Boston College on Nov. 3.
Jakus said that Sissoko “had a swagger to him.” Also, Josiah Parker, who finished with 9 points and 11 rebounds, gave credit to Sissoko and Pintelon for their contributions off the bench.
“Coach stresses every day, just be ready for the moment,” Parker said. “Every game, you never know when your number’s going to be called. Those guys had been waiting for this opportunity and they took advantage of it.”
Owls finally exercise late-game demons
Heading into the matchup with Temple, FAU had lost each of its previous three home games by two points or less, and in its last game against North Texas, the Owls lost by one on the road.
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Despite being without two of its top three scorers, Florida Atlantic finally came through in the clutch. FAU held the lead for most of the second half, and fended off a late flurry after leading by as much as 11.
While injuries have played a factor in the team’s nose dive in the conference standings, their inability to close out tight contests has been just as crucial – seven of their 13 losses this season have been by five points or less.
After the win, Jakus talked about how it feels to finally have a close game go their way and how the experience can help them during next month’s American Conference Tournament.
“One of the hardest things for me as a coach during this stretch is it seems like we kind of went all in on the fact that our top 8 is 6-1,” Jakus said. “Meanwhile, the guys that had to fill in are in all these close games. We’ve said all along, that if those guys can stick with it, maybe our depth will help us get through three games in three days.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls snap 6-game losing streak with victory against Temple
