FAU men's basketball defeated Tulane 79-73 for 11 straight wins on home court.

Marnery St Fort

March, 3 2024

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic Owls (22-7, AAC 11-4) defeated Tulane Green Wave (13-15, AAC 4-12) 79-73 on Saturday behind another strong performance by the junior center Vladislav Goldin. The Owls win 11 straight on home court at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

Goldin for FAU has been dominant in the last four games, scoring 20+ points per game. He scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Tulane.

Alijah Martin recorded a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds for FAU, while Jalen Gaffney and Nick Boyd contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The game started slow for both teams and could not create separation in the first 9 minutes of trading baskets for six leads change.

The Green Wave extended their lead by 5 points for a third time over the Owls to 24-19 on a fastbreak jumper from Kevin Cross with 8:45 remaining in the half. 

However, the Owls burst for an 11-1 run thanks to the back-to-back three-pointers by Boyd and Gaffney, who initially started the stretch with a three and hit another, allowing the Owls a 36-29 lead at the break.

FAU maintained their lead in the second half and extended it to 20 points with Goldin's double-double performance.

At the 8-minute mark remaining of the game, Tulane narrowed the lead to 13 that FAU had established. 

The Owls became lackadaisical, and Davis of FAU got into a scuffle with Jaylen Forbes of Tulane during a rebound attempt. Following a review by the officials, both players issued a technical foul.

Collin Holloway led the scoring sheet for the Green Wave with 19 points, followed by Kevin Cross and Jaylen Forbes with 14 points apiece.

The Green Wave fought and brought the deficit to five with ten seconds on the clock, but the effort was not enough after the Owl Martin sank a free throw for the FAU victory 79-73 over Tulane.

“We’re excited to escape with this win after a very choppy and interrupted game,” expressed FAU head coach Dusty May."

The Florida Atlantic Owls travel one last time for the regular season to play North Texas (15-12, AAC 8-7) on Wednesday, Mar. 2, tipping off at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN+.

Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis, FAU, Sports, Vladislav Goldin, Marnery St Fort