BOCA RATON — Don’t look now but the Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team is on a roll.
The Owls extended their winning streak to four games on Monday, outlasting the Charlotte 49ers 87-75 in an American Athletic Conference clash. FAU has won each of its last four games by an average margin of 19.5 points. The Owls have trailed in those games for just 11:18 while continuing to climb the AAC standings, currently tied with Tulane for fourth.
Kaleb Glenn’s 18 points led the way for FAU (14-10, 7-4). KyKy Tandy added 17, and Baba Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Robert Braswell led Charlotte (9-16, 2-10) with 20 points.
“To win four in a row, we’re incredibly thankful for that,” FAU head coach John Jakus said. “I’m thrilled with tonight.”
The Owls return to action on Sunday when they travel to Philadelphia to play Temple.
More: FAU men’s basketball notches second wire-to-wire victory with 94-72 decision over USF
Here are three takeaways from Monday night’s victory:
Hot shooting catapults Owls to fourth straight win
As has been the theme during their winning streak, the Owls put on an efficient display of shooting, hitting 54 percent of their field goals, and knocking down 48 percent of their three-point attempts (12-for-25). They have shot at least 50 percent from the field, and at least 40 percent from beyond the arc in each of the last four games.
Jakus believes that his players finally are comfortable with each other within the offense, leading to their hyper-efficient shooting figures.
“I think [playing] 20 games together helps your feel,” Jakus said. “At their core, they’re good shooters and we continue to tell them that.”
In particular, Tandy has found his rhythm during conference play. Entering Monday, Tandy was shooting 44 percent from three-point range in 10 conference games. He would continue his hot shooting against Charlotte, knocking down five of his eight 3-point attempts.
“Like I’ve said, coach gives me the confidence to shoot it, and I’m going to shoot it,” Tandy said. “But I’m making them now, and I just have to keep going.”
Owls force 16 turnovers in the double-digit victory over 49ers
While things were clicking offensively for the Owls on Monday, the same could be said for their defensive effort. FAU forced 11 first-half turnovers, and 16 overall, to keep the 49ers from cutting into their lead. The Owls’ tenacious defense led to 18 points off those turnovers.
Baba Miller and Ken Evans Jr. each had 3 steals, with Miller adding 3 blocks to his resume. Jakus noted the impact that Miller’s versatility has on the defense.
“There’s this moment where you’ve got to look around at the rim and wonder who’s coming when you play us,” Jakus said. “We did not have that [earlier in the season] on a consistent basis, and I think in the last couple of weeks we’ve found it.”
Multiple contributors once again key to Owls’ victory
Florida Atlantic flexed its depth in Monday’s victory. Four Owls (Glenn, Tandy, Miller, Carroll) each scored in double digits, Leland Walker paced the team with 7 assists, and six Owls (Carroll, Miller, Evans Jr., Tandy, Glenn, Moretti) knocked down a three-pointer.
“When the bright lights come on, we have a lot of good players that’s going to come to play,” Glenn said.
Tandy shared the same sentiment, noting the wide range of impact players at the team’s disposal.
“You don’t know who might show up,” Tandy said. “There’s so many good guys on the team, I’m just blessed that we got the win.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hot shooting, strong defense propel FAU Owls against Charlotte 49ers
