Vladislav Goldin recorded a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Johnell Davis scored 15 as No. 19 Florida Atlantic held off upset-minded Butler 91-86 in the quarterfinal round of the ESPN Events Invitational on Thanksgiving in Kissimmee, Fla.
The Owls (3-1) came in looking to overcome last Saturday's loss to Bryant at home. A balanced attack featuring six players in double figures helped them get it done.
Jalen Gaffney finished with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with his biggest shot being a 3-pointer that gave the Owls an 81-77 lead and a bit of breathing room with 4:30 remaining.
Alijah Martin scored 13, and Bryan Greenlee added 11 points.
Tre Carroll also scored 11 points for the Owls and made a huge play with 6:19 remaining, going up strong and drawing a foul as the shot rolled in. He hit the free throw as well, and FAU led 77-71.
Jahmyl Telfort was one of five players in double figures for the Bulldogs (3-2), scoring 19, with Pierre Brooks adding 13. DJ Davis scored 13 and hit the 1,000-point milestone on a 3-pointer that cut the FAU lead to 33-26 with 7:02 to go in the first half.
Posh Alexander (12) and Andre Screen (12) also reached double digits.
The Owls went into halftime with a 46-42 lead and got a shot in the arm early in the second half from Davis, who grabbed a long rebound and drove in for a layup before knocking down a 3-pointer with 18:18 to play as the Owls stretched their advantage to 53-44.
Two Boden Kapke free throws gave Butler a 67-63 lead with 10:52 left, but Goldin soon gave FAU the lead back after being fouled on a made layup. He hit the ensuing free throw for a 71-70 lead at the 7:39 mark. The Owls never looked back.
In the first meeting between the two programs, FAU led 33-23 after Martin threw down a dunk off an ally-oop with 7:22 to play, but Butler tied the game at 42-42 when Brooks shot over a defender from beyond the arc with 1:23 to play in the half.
Back-to-back layups from Gaffney and Goldin gave the Owls a 46-42 lead.
Florida Atlantic moves on to play No. 12 Texas A&M on Friday in the semifinals of the tournament. The Aggies defeated Penn State 89-77 Thursday.
Butler will play Penn State in a consolation semifinal Friday.
--Field Level Media
Florida Atlantic | Butler | |
Vladislav Goldin 19 | Scoring | Jahmyl Telfort 19 |
Jalen Gaffney 3 | Assists | Posh Alexander 9 |
Vladislav Goldin 11 | Rebounds | Andre Screen 8 |
Vladislav Goldin 9 | Free Throws Made | Jahmyl Telfort 5 |
Alijah Martin 3 | Steals | Jalen Thomas 2 |
Johnell Davis 1 | Blocks | Jahmyl Telfort 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Florida Atlantic | 91 | 52.4 | 7-22 | 18-27 | 10 | 36 | 2 | 10 | 10 |
Butler | 86 | 50.0 | 9-19 | 17-22 | 12 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 10 |