FAU defeats Middle Tennessee State, wins school-record 19th straight

Florida Atlantic center Vladislav Goldin, center, goes to the basket as Middle Tennessee guard Justin Bufford (4) and forward DeAndre Dishman (2) defend during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Associated Press)

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Cinderella season for No. 21 Florida Atlantic University continued Thursday night with its 19th straight victory over Middle Tennessee State University.

The 85-67 rout gave FAU (20-1, 9-0 Conference USA) only the second 20-win season in the program’s Division I history and coach Dusty May his first 20-win season.

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FAU remains undefeated at home (12-0) after beating MTSU (13-8, 6-4 C-USA).

According to a FAU spokesperson, the Owls’ enjoyed their first-ever home game as a ranked team with a sold-out crowd of 3,082, a new school record.

Johnell Davis, the Owls’ leading scorer, came off the bench early in the first half, this time calming what had been a jittery FAU offense that missed its first eight shots.

The sophomore guard was on fire, hitting six of his eight first-half shots and scoring 19 points in the first 20 minutes. He finished the night with 25 points and 6 rebounds.

The FAU reserves continued to show how depth has orchestrated this magical season by scoring a combined 52 points.

The Owls entered Thursday night as one of only three teams nationally with at least 19 wins this season. The team’s only other 20-win season came in 2010-11 under coach Mike Jarvis.

FAU will aim for their 20th straight win Saturday as they are set to host Western Kentucky at 4 p.m.


About the Author
Ryan Mackey headshot

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

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