CHICAGO – Tenth-ranked Florida Atlantic achieved the highest ranking and expectations. The Owls are off to a good start.
Vladislav Goldin scored a career-high 19 points and had 10 rebounds. FAU defeated Loyola Chicago 75-62 in the teams’ season opener on Wednesday night.
Goldin also set personal bests with five blocks and four steals.
Nick Boyd scored 13 points while Johnell Davis and Brandon Weatherspoon each contributed 12 points. Boyd and Weatherspoon each hit three 3-pointers, and the balanced Owls showed why they have their sights set on the NCAA Championship after a surprising trip to the Final Four. With all five starters returning and just one player out from a team that went 35-4 and was eliminated by a buzzer-beating jumper at San Diego State in the semifinals, FAU is off to a good start.
“Just to wrap up last year,” coach Dusty May said. “It was a special season, but as a coach, as a program and as a group of players still pursuing their individual goals and dreams, it was nice to just move on to the next one “To move on and see what this team can become.”
Goldin sounded like he had turned the page.
“New team, new season, new chapter,” he said.
May was an assistant at Florida during the 2017-18 season when Loyola defeated the fifth-ranked Gators to beat a top-five team for the first time since 1984. The Ramblers won 32 games and stunned the nation with a Final Four run.
This time there were no surprises, even if it wasn’t exactly easy for FAU. Although there were no leadership changes, Loyola did not go quietly.
The Owls went on a 17-2 run in the first half to open a two-point game. They withstood several second-half pushes from Loyola — they are no strangers to surprising Final Four runs — and opened their sixth season under May with a win.
Philip Alston scored 15 points for the Ramblers, who are trying to bounce back from a 10-win season.
“Overall, this is a top 10 team and it’s our first game of the year, so that’s a measure of where we want to be by the end of the year,” he said. “I thought it gave us a little bit of confidence because obviously we know we can play with anyone.”
OWLS WIN
Sister Jean, who became a celebrity during Loyola’s Final Four run, was in attendance at the game, part of a doubleheader sponsored by Barstool Sports in which Arizona State later played Mississippi State. The beloved 104-year-old nun must have liked what she saw when Alston scored in the paint, cutting the game to 24-22.
Weatherspoon quickly quieted the crowd at Wintrust Arena – about 10 miles south of Loyola’s home on the Far North Side – when he hit a 3 and started a 17-2 run. Bryan Greenlee tied the game with a layup that extended the lead to 41-24 with 1:47 left in the half.
FAU led by 18 points early in the second period before Loyola scored 11 straight points to get within 50-43 after a corner 3 by Patrick Mwamba. But FAU regrouped.
It was 56-48 when Goldin scored with a hook. Boyd scored on a fastbreak layup, Weatherspoon hit a free throw and Jalen Gaffney hit a jumper to extend the lead to 63-48 with just under eight minutes left.
BIG PICTURE
FAU: The Owls are as deep and balanced as any team, and they responded every time Loyola made a push.
Loyola: The Ramblers have at least defended themselves against a championship contender. That’s promising for a team that went 10-21 last season.
NEXT
FAU: The Owls look to go 2-0 against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday.
Loyola: The Ramblers will look to bounce back when Eastern Illinois visits Gentile Arena on Saturday. ——
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AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball