Can Florida Atlantic's Paint Domination Overcome Memphis' Second-Chance Scoring?
The Florida Atlantic Owls faced a tough challenge against the Memphis Tigers, ending with a scoreboard that read 74-78. The Owls now stand with an overall record of 0-1, while the Tigers have evened out their season at 1-1.
At FedExForum in Memphis, the game was a closely contested affair with both teams showcasing their strengths on the court. The Owls put up an impressive performance inside the paint, scoring 40 points to match their opponents' effort in this area. Dominating under the basket, they shot an efficient 58 percent from two-point range and grabbed a total of 40 rebounds throughout the game.
The team's offensive efforts were led by field goals made on 28 out of 64 attempts, resulting in a field goal percentage of 44 percent. From beyond the arc, they managed to sink seven three-pointers but struggled to find consistency with only a 25 percent success rate from long distance. At the free-throw line, however, they showed commendable accuracy by converting at a rate of nearly 79 percent.
Defensively, Florida Atlantic managed to block three shots and steal possession another three times. Despite these efforts and maintaining possession through only thirteen turnovers – equaling those committed by individual players – they could not capitalize as much as desired on these opportunities; points off turnovers amounted to just five for them.
In contrast to their defensive hustle which resulted in twenty-five defensive rebounds and ten offensive ones personal fouls became an issue for Florida Atlantic as they racked up eighteen over the course of play but managed not to foul out any player or face ejections.
On Memphis' side, despite committing more steals (11) than Florida Atlantic (3), both teams ended up almost even in assists with twelve for FAU and eleven for MEM. However, it was second-chance points where Memphis excelled; capitalizing on their thirteen offensive rebounds led them to score twenty-three second-chance points compared to FAU's eighteen.
As fans look ahead after this hard-fought battle between conference rivals that saw fourteen lead changes and five ties during playtime it is clear that every possession counted towards building momentum or staging comebacks within this competitive matchup at FedExForum witnessed by an attendance of thirteen thousand five hundred ten spectators
Looking forward toward future matchups fans can catch The Florida Atlantic Owls back in action when they host Tulane Green Wave at FAU Arena located in Boca Raton FL This upcoming game is scheduled for March 2nd at approximately noon Eastern Time Fans interested can tune into ESPN2 television network broadcast which will feature live coverage ensuring supporters won't miss any action from home court advantage