No. 19 Florida Atlantic bounces back, beats Charlotte 67-52

Updated Feb. 4, 2023 6:03 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Vladislav Goldin had 15 points and No. 19 Florida Atlantic earned a 67-52 victory over Charlotte on Saturday, just two days after the Owls had their 20-game win streak snapped.

Alijah Martin added 11 points and Brandon Weatherspoon had 10 for the Owls (22-2, 12-1 Conference USA), who outscored Charlotte 37-21 in the second half

Brice Williams led Charlotte (13-10, 4-8) with 14 points.

FAU had put together a school-record 20 straight wins — dating back to a Nov. 14 win at Florida — before falling on the road to UAB 86-77 on Thursday night.

The Owls built a 10-point lead in the first half before the 49ers rallied to take a 31-30 lead at the break with Lu'Cye Patterson scoring on a spin move on the low block and converting the ensuing free throw for a three-point play.

But FAU owned the second half.

The Owls opened the second half with an 20-4 run, finding success pounding the ball inside to 7-foot-1 Goldin, who scored four straight points and helped open driving lanes and spot up 3s for his teammates. Bryan Greenlee and Michael Forrest took advantage, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to help put the Owls up by 15 with 10 minutes remaining.

Unlike in the previous meeting where Charlotte was able to cut a 20-point deficit to two before ultimately losing 71-67, there would be no frantic rally.

Greenlee came open off a screen to hit another 3 to push the lead to 17 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

Charlotte struggled to get much going on the offensive end, often using the entire shot clock before settling for low percentage shots.

BIG PICTURE

Florida Atlantic: It was a good second half for the Owls, who had the pressure of the win streak off their chest.

Charlotte: The 49ers entered the game 4-7 in conference play, but have been competitive with the last six defeats by four points or less. They didn't put up a big fight in the second half though, as the shots wouldn't fall.

UP NEXT

Florida Atlantic: Host Rice on Thursday night.

Charlotte: At UTEP on Thursday night.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25