Florida Atlantic took down the UTSA Roadrunners on its home floor 97-74 on Wednesday night in Boca Raton, Florida, giving the Owls their fourth AAC win.
The Owls (11-10, 4-4 AAC) delivered their strongest offensive performance of the season, with graduate guard KyKy Tandy and sophomore forward Kaleb Glenn standing out in the first half.
Coming off the bench, Glenn came in hot, throwing down four powerful dunks and aggressively attacking the rim, contributing 17 points and seven rebounds.
Glenn noted that the last time he had four dunks right from the jump was in high school.
“I did not expect it. I was just cutting and trying to find the ball,” said Glenn.
Tandy recorded a season-high 26 points, going 8-for-10 shooting from behind the arc. Tandy has been one of the top shooters in the American Athletic Conference and unlocked a new career-high, knocking in eight 3-pointers.
“I just wanted to be aggressive. I have been putting the work in and I have just been trusting my work,” said Tandy.
Going into the second half, the Owls maintained a 13-point lead over UTSA (9-11, 3-4 AAC). Tandy’s consistency from beyond the 3-point arc was contagious, firing up the rest of the team.
“My coaches and my teammates believe in me. They wanted me to shoot it, and I shot it,” said Tandy.
The Owls dominated the boards and excelled with paint touches. Freshman center Matas Vokietatis added 10 points, making all four of his attempts.
Additionally, junior forward Baba Miller secured his fourth double-double of the season and contributed 10 points and 11 assists.
“I thought that missing the layups and air balling the 3, and not letting that affect him in any way and then delivering and doing great things… unbelievable job with his mental health,” said Florida Atlantic head coach John Jakus on Miller.
The Owls outshot and outscored the Roadrunners. The Owls shot 54% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. They also had 43 rebounds compared to UTSA’s 28 rebounds.
The Owls took control of their home floor with efforts from each player, shaping them to be a tightly-knit team win. Their success comes from each player thriving in their role, which has boosted their confidence and energy as a team.
“They do not quit. They get up shots in the morning and put in the extra work. They’re a wonderful group that loves each other,” said Jakus.
Florida Atlantic will face its in-state rival South Florida (11-10, 4-4 AAC) at 2 p.m. ET Sunday.
