Both top-seed Florida teams went down in Fort Worth
The two top seeds, USF No.1 and FAU No.2 fell in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship.
FAU guard Johnell Davis (red jersey #1) dribbling the ball against USF during the 90-86 loss on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024.
Marnery St Fort
March 16, 2024
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - In the early match, UAB Blazers (22-11, AAC 12-6) handles the conference No. 1 USF Bulls (24-7, AAC16-2) for a second time this season, giving them another loss 93-83 on Saturday in the semifinal at the American Championship at the Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas.
UAB took a 38-30 point lead into halftime and started the second half with more pressure, firing a quick 4-for-5 from the three-point land in exchange blows to push their lead to a 14-point gap at 52-38.
The Bulls faced the uphill battle and tied the game at 59-all.
However, the Bulls collapsed down the stretch, committing fouls and getting technical fouls, boosting the Blazers to another quick 2-minute run.
It started with a jumper by Yaxel Lendeborg, followed by seven made free throws and another jumper from Eric Gaines, pushing the lead back up to 11 at 70-59 with 7:44 minutes left on the clock.
The Bulls charged another comeback attempt and cut their deficit to four at 78-74 at the 4:28
minute mark.
Nevertheless, UAB maintained their composure in the remaining minutes to go up by 14 and closed the game with a 93-83 victory.
In the second American Conference semifinal, FAU Owls (25-8, AAC 14-5) faced Temple (16-19, AAC 6-13) and came out as expected, making plays on defense and turning to offense.
FAU regained the early lead at 7-6 and built a 12-0 run after a tie at 9-9 to go up a double-digit with the score of 21-9.
Vladislav Goldin remains the heart of the Owls of FAU offense, producing 5-for-6 field goals in the first half, helping FAU to enter the locker room with a 33-25 score lead.
Hysier Miller for the Temple came out of the second half with a hot hand, knocking down a couple of three-pointers, followed by another three-pointer from Sam Hofman.
Goldin remained unguardable and kept scoring for FAU to give the Owls an 8-point lead at 42-34. However, the referees punished him on a critical call of an attempt to block Matteo Picarelli's made three, which he fouled on a follow-through on his face.
After the official review, the referee upgraded the foul to a flagrant on Goldin that gave Picarelli two free throws plus the ball back, which led to a 7-point swing to bring the Temple within one at 42-41.
The Owls of Temple carried the momentum to regain the lead at 51-49 and built an 8-point lead with 7:51 on the clock on a layup from Miller.
FAU lost their balance on offense, relied heavily on Goldin, and could not buy a basket for more than 7 minutes. They struggled behind the three-point line, shooting 3-for-17.
Johnell Davis became aggressive in attacking the basket, hitting a tough left-handed turnaround jumper in the paint to end FAU's field goal drought with 7:08 left.
Davis tied the game for FAU at 64-all on a layup with three minutes left, but the team could not contain Temple's offense.
Despite the struggle, FAU had a chance in the final seven seconds when Shane Dezonie for Temple missed two free throws, allowing Davis the rebound and drove down to the paint area, which he failed to get off a shot by attempting to pass the ball instead for a turnover.
Goldin tied his career high and finished with 23 points on a 10-12 field goal, while Davis amassed 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
The Owls of Temple survived and beat FAU 74-73 with the help of Miller, who finished with 21 points on an 8-16 field goal, followed by Riley's 16 points on a 5-10 field goal.
FAU remains in position for an at-large bid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Temple will face UAB in the final on Sunday on ESPN at 3:15 P.M. in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Dickies Arena.
Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis, FAU, Sports, Vladislav Goldin, Marnery St Fort, AAC, NCAA, USF, UAB, Temple