FAU heads up to East Lansing for their final game of the non-conference slate and face off against the #20 ranked Michigan State Spartans. The Owls look to make it 4 in a row and pick u[ their first ranked win of the season.
Stay tuned below for updates as the game progresses.
1H first 4-
Things started slowly in the first 4 minutes for FAU, as they converted on only 1 of their first 5 field goals, and only 1 of 4 from beyond the arc and they also had 2 early turnovers which MSU was able to turn into 2 early points. The big issue early on was the owls lost their big man Matas Vokietaitis committed 2 early fouls which left the Owls undersized and led to 2 early offensive rebounds and 4 MSU points and MSU took an 8-3 lead into the U16 with 15:54 to play.
U12 timeout-
The Owls got a jolt of energy out of the U16 timeout, as Leland Walker scored on an aggressive drive to the basket and Tre Carroll hit a quick triple to tie the game at 8 in just 40 seconds out of the U16. That run continued into a 10-4 run overall and the Owls took a 14-13 lead into the U12 timeout with 11:25 to play.
U8 timeout-
MSU came out of the U12 with a mini 6-2 run, however the Owls were responding early on getting a quick bucket from Leland and a ferocious jam from Baba and heading into the U8 timeout with 8 minutes to go FAU held a 20-19 lead and were even on the glass and turnover department, 2 key areas they need to compete in to pull off the upset.
U4 timeout-
Things started to get away from FAU out of the U8 timeout, as MSU went on a strech where they were able to get out in transition and put together a highlight reel type stretch, getting a pair of ferocious dunks from Coen Carr apart of a 9-0 run which saw MSU take a 27-20 lead with 5:58 to play. The Owls were able to cut it to 4, however Tre Holloman ended an MSU drought from 3 to give the Spartans a 33-26 lead heading into the U4 timeout with 3;26 to play.
Final 4-
Things went from bad to worse over the final few minutes for FAU as the Spartans were shutting the Owls down offensively, while continuing to get good penetration on the other end, closing the half on a 9-3 run and taking a 42-29 lead into the half. FAU closed the half without a bucket over the final 2 minutes 21 seconds and their offense was 1 dimensional, finishing the half 11 of 37 from the field and 3 of 17 rom beyond the arc.
Halftime thoughts-
Exactly what couldn’t happen to FAU happened, as after showing resiliency to start the game and even taking some early leads, FAU’s offense went quiet, while MSU picked up steam. After being even in the rebound and turnover battle at the U8 timeout the Owls trailed 25-17 in rebounds and while they didn’t turn it over during the final 8 minutes, they were struggling to find the bottom of the net. FAU needs a spark in a big way during the second half and they have to defend the rim without fouling.
In an ideal world FAU can find their shooting stroke from 3 and make this competitive in the second half, but that is easier said than done and they will also need to shut down MSU’s transition offense, which is also a tall task.
2H first 4-
The Owls started the second half with fairly solid defense, holding MSU to 2 of 12 from the field and on the other end they were 3 of 7, however 5 offensive rebounds for MSU in the first 4 minutes helped them maintain a double digit lead and heading into the U16 timeout MSU held a 48-35 advantage with 14:43 to play.
U12 timeout-
Not much changed over the next 2 minutes and change, as MSU was continuing to attack the offensive glass, picking up 2 more offensive rebounds which they turned into a crowd-charging dunk from Coen Carr and Jakus was forced into a timeout as the building was rocking and FAU was struggling on both ends and with 12:03 to go MSU held a 53-38 lead.
U8 timeout-
The Owls began to find success down low inbetween the U12 and U8 timeout, as Tre Carroll picked up 6 points, while Matas and Baba each converted on a bucket down low off an offensive rebound, however MSU was responding to the Owls, continuing to rack up highlight plays and heading into the U8 timeout the Owls were trailing 63-51 with 7:58 to play.
U4 timeout-
FAU was unable to break away from MSU late in this one as they traded buckets out of the U8 timeout, but whenever FAU would make a miniature run, the Spartans would have a response. The Owls kept it within 12 and 13 for the first few minutes out of the U8, however the Spartans went on a 10-3 run in nearly 2 minutes and after Coen Carr and Jaden Akins hit back to back triples, the Breslin center was rocking and Sparty led 77-59.
Tre Carroll was responding for FAU, as he scored 6 in a row for FAU after that big MSU run, however MSU was responding right alongside him and heading into the U4 timeout with 1:49 to play they maintained an 81-67 lead.
Final 2 minutes-
Although Baba Miller converted an and 1 out of the U4 timeout, MSU wasn’t backing down, getting another show stopping jam this time from Xavier Booker and the dagger was reserve Gehrig Normand hitting a triple, which capped off a 86-69 win for MSU.