FAU Hosts Bryant In Rematch From Last Season What : #10 FAU (2-0) vs Bryant (1-3) When : Sat. Nov. 18th, @ 6:00 PM Where : Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena Series : Second matchup. TV : ESPN+ Stream : YouTube Radio : FoxSports 640 Live Stats : Here Line : FAU -25 FAU at a Glance Offense – 88 PPG, 55% FG, 44% 3PT Defense – 60 PPGA, 43% FGA, 25% 3PTA Rebounding – 36 RPG Owls, 27 RPG Opponents Owl Notables The home opener was one to remember for FAU fans. Seeing a record crowd of 3,161 in The Burrow, the Owls picked up where they left off with their home dominance, blowing the brakes off Eastern Michigan in a 43-point blowout victory. Vladislav Goldin has been an absolute standout for the Owls to begin the campaign. He is averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist per game. His assertiveness in the paint and the way he gets his shot off for an accuracy of 70% is something to keep an eye on moving forward. Streak & Record Updates Record home win streak of 19 games National Home Win Streaks [as of November 17th] 1. UCLA 28 2. FAU 19 While Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis bounce back from their rusty starts, the Owls have a lot of options to turn to, and one of them turned out to be Brenen Lorient (pictured above via Bob Markey II). He shined with 13 points on 6-7 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench against the Eagles, including two emphatic dunks in the second half. He could play a key role in a second unit that wants to maintain the potent scoring they had last year. With players like Nick Boyd, Brandon Weatherspoon, and Bryan Greenlee lighting it up from downtown, the Owls are 12th in the country with one of the best three-point percentages at 43.75%. This is an area the team will want to emphasize with the multiple shooters they have on the roster. Keep an eye on the Owls’ ball movement. They rank in the top 20 (19th) nationally in most assists per game, dishing out 25 against Eastern Michigan to showcase an offense that was in sync for the entire game. Greenlee and Boyd have the most assists with 10 and nine, respectively. Following this game, FAU will have a few days of rest before heading to Orlando for the ESPN Invitational to face the Butler Bulldogs on November 23rd at 2:30 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Bryant Team Site : Here Bryant at a Glance Offense – 84 PPG, 47% FG, 41% 3PT Defense – 75 PPGA, 38% FGA, 33% 3PTA Rebounding – 40 RPG, 36 RPG Opponents Bulldog Notables Bryant has been going through some turmoil this past month, seeing their head coach Jared Grasso resign after five seasons. Having served at the helm since 2018, he guided the Bulldogs to an NCAA tournament bid and Northeast Conference regular-season and conference tournament titles in 2022, a season after finishing second in the league. With Phil Martelli Jr. serving as the new coach, the Bulldogs are off to a rocky start. Losing 61-59 in their home opener to Manhattan before blowing out Fisher 140-79, the team has lost back-to-back contests on the road to Rutgers and most recently Boston University. Sherif Gross-Bullock continues to star as Bryant’s best player. He is averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, three assists, and 1.8 steals on 41% shooting from the field. He also stands out with an elite shooting stroke from the perimeter, making 41.9% of his three-pointers. Bryant’s defense is an area the Owls should be wary of. They’re giving up 75 points per game, but was competitive in a 66-57 defeat to Rutgers last Sunday. They also have done well contesting shots, only allowing 37.8% of their opponents’ shots to go on which places them 74th in the nation. The Bulldogs return home to Rhode Island to host Howard on November 20th at 7:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
