Basketball in paradise is officially back in full swing at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

Under second-year Head Coach John Jakus, FAU showcased a blend of returning players and new faces in its exhibition game against Florida Tech on October 30. 

Coming into the game, FAU returned five players and welcomed 10 new players from both the transfer portal and across the world. Meanwhile, Florida Tech, under new head coach Will Murphy, rebuilt a new squad of young talent, comprised of 12 new players and three returning players.

Guard Niccolo Morreti did not dress out for today’s exhibition game with an ankle injury.

“He had a little ankle role in practice, and we’ll address that with our trainer moving forward,” Jakus said. “I can’t tell you whether it’s going to impact Boston College or not on Monday; I hope that it does not.”

Junior guard Devin Vanterpool was the Owls’ leading scorer with 24 points, shooting 69% from the field (9/13, 3/5 from three).

“It’s great being out here, being back open to the public,” said Vanterpool. “With this new team that we have, we’re super excited, especially for Monday; that was a good preview of what’s to come for this new team.”

As a team, FAU shot 59% from the field, 54% from three and 64% from the free throw line. The Owls capitalized on 30 points off turnovers and 17 second-chance points.

FAU won the opening tip courtesy of guard Kanaan Carlyle, but guard Ca’Darious Sowell scored the first basket of the game for the Panthers. Forward Devin Williams scored the first basket of the game for the Owls after a missed three-point attempt by Vanterpool. 

An assist from Carlyle to Vanterpool, followed by a three-pointer from Carlyle on the fast break off an opponent turnover, helped the Owls go on a 9-0 scoring run early in the half. The Owls went on a 14-0 run in three minutes, all while making six of the last seven field goals (6/7), whereas Florida Tech only made one out of seven (1/7). 

Florida Tech broke its scoring drought with a three-pointer from Ty Harping. Guard Yohann Sissoko answered right back, bringing the Owls’ lead to 10. After two missed free-throw attempts from guard Isaiah Elohim, forward Xander Pintelon got the offensive rebound, where Carlyle capitalized and made a second-chance layup. 

Florida Tech was on a five-minute scoring drought until guard Xavier Ford-Belton made a layup to cut the Panthers’ scoring deficit to 19.

Williams threw down a one-handed jam at the conclusion of the last media timeout of the half with an assist by guard Max Langenfeld. Guard Josiah Parker made a second-chance layup after a three-point shot attempt from Elohim, and Carlyle followed that up with a three-pointer on the fast break.

Pintelon fired the last shot off before the first-half buzzer to put the Owls up by 20 going into halftime, 54-34.

Pintelone had an impressive alley-oop dunk to start the second half with the assist from Carlyle. Florida Tech went on a 6-0 scoring run over two minutes until Vanterpool ended the Owls’ two-minute scoring drought with a fast break layup off an opponent turnover. 

Vanterpool made back-to-back three-point shots to put the Owls up by 30 points with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Parker then dunked on a wide-open possession with an assist from Carlyle to get the crowd on its feet.

The Panthers made four of the last five field goals in two minutes, sending FAU into a two-minute scoring drought with three turnovers; however, this did not deter the Owls from maintaining a 29-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the game. Sissoko answered with an impressive fast-break dunk.

FAU redeemed itself from their last scoring drought and went three-for-three on their previous field goals. 

Guard Amar Amkou went on an impressive 8-0 run in just a minute and six seconds; Amkou also shot 100% overall and had 17 points. 

“To be honest, we thought he might not be back for a little while,” said Jakus, referring to Amkou’s injury status last season. “He healed quickly, he’s ahead of schedule, and he shot the ball great.”

Guard Liam Dayco-Green made his debut as an Owl and scored his first three-pointer of his collegiate career. Dayco-Green came to FAU as a walk-on but was offered a full athletic scholarship this summer.

FAU concluded their exhibition game with a 42-point win, 110-68.

FAU will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 3, as they prepare to face Boston College at home at 7 p.m. The game will be nationally televised and can be streamed on ESPNU. 

Angelina Martell is the Sports Editor for the University Press. Email her at amartellmedia@gmail.com or DM her on Instagram @angieemartell for more information on this and other stories.