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Paradise Brew 11/27: Disney Domination
FAU men's basketball conquered Disney World, winning the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational.
Paradise Brew Crew
November 27, 2023
Good morning. In a field of eight teams, six who had made the previous NCAA Tournament, the No. 19 Owls were the last team standing. They won the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational after taking down Virginia Tech (5-2) in the championship game, 84-50, on Sunday afternoon.
It was another well-balanced effort with four players with double-digit points, led by junior guard Alijah Martin with 17 and junior forward Vlad Goldin scoring 14 on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting night.
Martin was named the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational MVP.
What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?
🏈 The sun sets on this season of Auburn football
🏀 A closer look at the epic ESPN Events Invitational
🦉 And much, much more
📈 STOCK UP
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🔼 They Did the Hokie Pokie. “It is such a unique group where, after the game, if you asked me who were the three or four leading scorers of your team, I would have to look at a stat sheet,” men’s basketball head coach Dusty May said after the FAU Owls beat the Virginia Tech Hokies. “These guys are consumed with playing basketball the right way.”
Junior Guard Alijah Martin sent praise back to May and crew, saying, “Our coaching staff got us ready and prepared. We studied their defense and came into it with a great game plan, taking what they gave us."
Some Highlights:
Over the tournament, Martin averaged a team-high 18.3 points per game
Goldin could not miss over the last three games, going 15-for-17 from the field
Jalen Gaffney tallied season highs in both rebounds (6) and assists (6). He finished the tournament averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists
The Owls held the Hokies to just 33% from the field and 2-17 from beyond the arc.
Also noteworthy, In the past three games, the Owls shot 54.2% from the field. If this rate kept up over the course of the season, it would rank third nationwide.
Florida Atlantic will return to the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena to host the three-team Field of 68 Classic. The Owls will take on Liberty on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. and Charleston on Saturday, Dec. 2.
🔼 Owl-v-Owl. A slow start plagued Florida Atlantic women's basketball (3-2) as the Owls fell in a battle against the Kennesaw State Owls (2-3) on Saturday at KSU Convocation Center.
Kennesaw State jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Aniya Hubbard got the Owls on the board off a jumper to cut the deficit to five, 7-2. However, the Owls just couldn't get anything to fall during the first 10 minutes of play as Kennesaw State scored 11 unanswered through the Owls’ offensive struggles to hold an 18-2 lead after the first.
The Owls held Kennesaw State to just four points in the second quarter, mounting a 15-4 run to cut the deficit to just five at the halftime break, 22-17. They also attempted a fourth-quarter rally with two free throws by Hubbard and a trio of baskets from Mya Perry, including one from beyond the arc, cutting the deficit back down to five, 46-41, but it just wasn't enough as Kennesaw State outscored the Owls 11-2 to close out the contest, 57-43.
"Disappointing performance across the board,” said head coach Jennifer Sullivan. “Credit to Kennesaw State. We just need to find a way to dig in. We were down a player who was out of the game today. That did make a difference, but we need to find ways for other people to step up in those situations and capitalize in the fourth quarter when we make a run."
The Owls head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Wednesday, Nov. 29, for an 8pm ET tip on Big Ten Plus.
🔼 A Fleeting Feeling. The Florida Atlantic University football team (4-8, 3-5 AAC) concluded their 2023 season with a tough 24-21 loss to Rice (6-6, 4-4 AAC) on Saturday afternoon.
In the final game of the year, the Owls left it all on the field. On the very first play from scrimmage, graduate running back Kobe Lewis, who in his short time with FAU has stepped up as one of the team's most impactful leaders, took the handoff outside and down the sideline for the 75-yard touchdown.
The second half had another explosive start. On the team's first offensive drive, Florida Atlantic would score again. Richardson threw a dime to junior wide receiver Tony Johnson in the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown, giving the Owls a 14-10 lead.
Unfortunately, the Owls found themselves trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, which is when they put the ball in the hands of the reliable redshirt junior QB Michael Johnson Jr., who scored his seventh rushing touchdown of the season to bring the game within three. They got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining but could not move the ball, sealing the victory for Rice.
“What I told the team after the game is don't ever get used to this feeling,” said head coach Tom Herman. It is something I worry about when you lose four straight to end the season, that is a feeling that can sink in. We have to make sure for the guys that are coming back that it doesn't. There have been instances where we got out-talented, but today wasn't one of them.”
Read the article for more on the many impressive records reached by the Owls who played their last FAU game on Saturday.
Some more Brew headlines to keep you in the know 👇🏼
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🤔 PARADISE TRIVIA
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High score. Let’s celebrate some big games from the previous year.
Who recorded double figures in scoring in five games last season?
Think you know the answer? Scroll down to the bottom to find out!
🦉 ONE BIG THING
FAU Fire Starter. Offensive lineman Marquice Robinson ended his Florida Atlantic University career with 60 games played. Those 60 games tie an all-time FAU record for games played set by former teammate and cornerback Zyon Gilbert (2017-21). Robinson was also part of a five-man unit that started every game in 2023, something that just nine programs in the nation matched.
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Monday 11/27
(No Activities Scheduled)
Tuesday 11/28
(No Activities Scheduled)
Wednesday 11/29
🌊 Swimming at Toyota U.S. Open
🏀 Women’s Basketball @ Nebraska @ 8pm ET BigTen+ | Live Video | Live Stats
Thursday 11/30
🌊 Swimming at Toyota U.S. Open
Friday 12/1
(No Activities Scheduled)
Saturday 12/2
(No Activities Scheduled)
Sunday 12/3
(No Activities Scheduled)
🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER
Answer: Brandon Weatherspoon!
🦉 Have a great Monday, y’all.