FAU heads to UAB for their final road game of the non-conference slate, as the Owls look to win their second game in a row, while UAB looks to bounce back from a loss to Memphis. UAB defeated FAU in their last matchup in January, however the Owls have changed since that game and since their most recent lineup changes against USF they look to be rejuvenated.
The Owls inserted Matas Vokietaitis and Kaleb Glenn into the starting lineup last game and it led to success and in this one they opted to keep the same starting 5 as last game.
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1H first 4-
The Owls came out of the gates with early energy, jumping out to an 8-0 lead behind 2 triples from Leland Walker and Kaleb Glenn and hitting 4 of their first 5 field goals, while assisting on 3 of them. UAB responded, hitting 3 of their first 9 field goals and heading into the U16 timeout with 15:59 to play, FAU was holding a 10-6 lead.
1H U12 timeout-
The Owls offense slowed down out of the U16 timeout, as they went without a bucket for over 3 minutes, as after Matas hit a pair of free throws out of the U16, FAU was without a bucket until the 12:41 mark, as UAB went on a 12-0 run forcing 3 Owls turnovers and taking a 18-12 lead with 12:59 to play. FAU bounced back right away however, going on a 7-0 run of their own from Kaleb Glenn and Matas Vokietaitis and heading into the U12 timeout with 11:05 to play FAU was holding a 19-18 lead, assisting on 6 out of their 7 made field goals and also holding a 9-8 lead on the glass.
1H U8 timeout-
The back and forth battle waged on between these two teams, as UAB didn’t let FAU’s 7-0 run turn into anything too dangerous, however FAU maintained a lead with solid ball movement and paint play, matching UAB’s 16 paint points with 16 of their own and heading into the U8 timeout with 7:42 to play FAU was holding a 27-24 lead.
1H U4 timeout-
This game developed into a physical battle early on, as in between the U8 and U4 the teams combined for 14 points in the paint to give them 46 combined overall in the first half, however FAU was had a response to Yaxel Lendeborg in Matas Vokietaitis who scored 12 points on 5 of 5 shooting early on, also getting 8 from Leland Walker and 8 from Kaleb Glenn and despite UAB leading the turnover battle 6-1, FAU was holding a 36-32 lead heading into the U4 timeout with 2:46 to play.
1H final 4-
UAB was able to close it within a possession out of the U4 timeout, making it 37-34 with 2:31 to play, however the Owls got 5 in a row from Tre Carroll and heading into halftime the Owls were holding a 42-38 lead.
Halftime-
The Owls took a 4 point lead into the break behind 60% shooting from the field and perfect 9 for 9 shooting on layups, also assisting on 10 of 15 field goals and they had 4 scorers with 8 or more with Matas leading the way with 13 points and 5 rebounds. UAB was in the game however with 9 offensive rebounds and they also forced 7 FAU turnovers which kept them at arms reach despite FAU’s hot start.
2H First 4-
Both sides started out red hot from the field through the first 4, as they each hit 60% of their field goals, with UAB getting 10 from Ja’borri Mcgee and FAU getting 4 a piece from Glenn and Vokietaitis. Despite the even shooting, UAB turned 2 FAU turnovers into 5 points and took a 54-52 lead into the U16 timeout with 14:34 to play.
2H U12 timeout-
The back and forth battle continued, however FAU went without a bucket for nearly 3 minutes, missing multiple free throws in the process, but they were helped by UAB being scoreless during that time as well and heading into the U12 timeout UAB was holding a 58-55 lead with 12:11 to play.
2H U8 timeout-
UAB went on a quick 5-0 run out of the U12 timeout, which forced FAU into a timeout, trailing 63-55 with 10:37 to play. The Owls were able to get a mini jolt from Matas Vokietaitis and Nico Moretti out of the timeout, however the Blazers continued to probe the interior with success, getting to the line multiple times and heading into the U8 timeout with 7:41 to play, the Blazers were holding a 68-61 lead over FAU.
2H U4 timeout-
The Owls were able to cut it to 4 multiple times over the next few minutes, getting.a triple from Tre Carroll to make it 68-64 right out of the U8 timeout, however UAB wasn’t letting them knock it down to a 1 possession game. Both sides were trading buckets, with both getting into the paint with limited resistance, however the Blazers were still maintaining a multiple possession lead, taking a 76-70 advantage into the final media timeout with 3:00 to play.
2H Final 4:
Although FAU’s offense continued to fight down the stretch, it was to no avail as UAB continued to respond to each run FAU made, getting Lendeborg and McGee both to the charity stripe and with less than 30 seconds to go they took an 87-77 lead, ultimately going on to win 89-80.