The confidence that FAU MBB displayed against Charlotte Monday night permeated throughout Eleanor R Baldwin arena, giving the Owls an edge on the court and igniting the fans into a frenzy. The Owls won their 4th in a row Monday night, as after they fell behind 8-4, they outscored the 49ers 83-67, getting it done on both ends of the court on their way to an 87-75 victory.
The key to FAU’s success over the past 3 games has been their consistent improvement across the board and that was the story once again tonight. Offensively, the Owls were able to get another strong performance from behind the arc, finishing 48% from 3 and a stretch of 3 straight triples from KyKy Tandy from the 10:08 to 7:56 mark in the first half gave FAU a lead they never relinquished.
Although the offense was a big factor in tonight’s win, it wasn’t what won them the game, as Charlotte had a shooting barrage of their own, finishing 47% from the field and in the first half they were 53% from beyond the arc. Their 3 point shooting began to trend downwards towards the end of the first half and that was in large part due to FAU forcing 16 turnovers against a team that came into the game 12th in the nation in turnover percentage and the 18 points the Owls scored off of them was the difference in the game. Despite Charlotte overcoming their typical shooting struggles, FAU found a different way to get them off their game in turning them over and it’s something FAU Coach John Jakus credits as a big factor in their win.
“You have to decide how much you’re going to pressure their Princeton system. It’s incredibly well run. There’s a bunch of intricacies. We pressured at their place and gave up back cuts. I thought we pressured a little bit in situations, and caused us to give up some threes. So you got to make a trade. The other thing is, I thought in the first half we chose pace, and eventually we would wear them down, and so we were okay with some of it, but it kind of crossed the point. And then to your point, seven threes in the first half, two in the second half. I thought that was a huge difference,” Jakus said.
It was another diverse scoring performance for FAU, as Kaleb Glenn led the way with 18 points and 6 rebounds off of the bench, and Kyky Tandy was right behind him with 17 and 5 triples, while Baba Miller and Tre Carroll rounded out the double figure scorers, finishing with 14 and 13 respectively. Although FAU cashed in on 48% of their triples, they weren’t 3-point dependent, as they also scored 40 points in the paint, consistently making the extra pass which resulted in another game where they assisted on over 50% of their made field goals.
This team is radiating confidence currently, as whether it was Baba Miller hitting a step back triple, Kaleb Glenn throwing down a ferocious jam, or Kyky Tandy hitting 3 consecutive triples, there was no shortage of plays where this team looked like the more dominating team on the court. The talent has been there since day one of the offseason for this FAU squad, however after having multiple solid offensive performances consecutively, this unit now has the confidence to match that talent and it has led to high quality basketball.
It is hard to pinpoint what exactly has led to FAU’s consistent shooting from beyond the arc, but Jakus has always known the talent his players possess and it is possible that playing 20 games together has paid off and allowed for his team to gel.
“I think 20 games together helps you feel I think at their core, they’re good shooters, and we continue to tell them that when we were struggling a little bit we could have slowed down the pace and controlled it, and instead, we did the opposite, and we gave them more freedom. And I think the assistants have done a great job in their player development and film and instilling confidence. And the worst thing you can do is take credit for something that you don’t deserve. The kids every morning are in here when no one’s watching, and they deserve it, and I’m thankful for it, and it’s making us better,” Jakus said.
This squad looks to be firing on all cylinders heading into the final few weeks of AAC play and the age old saying is you want to be playing your best basketball come march and FAU looks to be doing exactly that. It could have been easy for this team to falter after back to back blowout losses at the hands of Michigan State and Memphis earlier this season, however they have found a way to persevere, going 7-3 since the loss to Memphis on January 2nd.
With a majority of this roster being transfers or freshman, the ability to come together in the middle of a season is no guarantee, however the Owls have done that and really embraced their family over everything mantra. That mantra is evident in the way the offense has been clicking lately, as nearly every rotational player has looked to have the ability to go off for 20 on any given night, but rather than try to force that everyone has stepped into their individual roles.
Heading into the season, many players on FAU’s roster viewed the team as unified prior to even stepping on the court, but now after battling through the trials and tribulations of the season, that unity has only grown. Kaleb Glenn battled through a tough freshman season at Louisville a year ago and he could have very well checked out when FAU had brief struggles early in the year, but he didn’t and his teammates didn’t either and now after a 4 game win streak, this team is as unified as it has ever been.
“It’s definitely helped a lot. We knew that we were going to go on the run that we haven’t. We still haven’t played our best basketball yet, so it’s helped a lot, and we are just going to keep building on it. Especially because it’s the right time to keep going on this run, February leading to March,” Glenn said.
FAU will look to keep building that Unity on Sunday, as they hit the road to take on Temple in Philadelphia and the Philly Owls are a perfect 10-0 at home this year, which makes this a true challenge on the horizon.