BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team notched its fourth win of the early season on Nov. 20, kicking off the first game of the Geico Sunshine Slam with a dominant 82-59 win over Pacific.
Kanaan Carlyle’s 21 points led the way for the Owls (4-1) against the Tigers (3-2). Isaiah Elohim scored 13, knocking down a trio of three-pointers, and Devin Vanterpool added 12 points. Pacific’s Elias Ralph scored 16 to lead the visitors.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We’re thrilled with the win tonight,” FAU head coach John Jakus said. “It’s a nice thing to be at home [and] play solid.”
FAU will be back in action on Nov. 24 in Daytona Beach against Loyola Marymount.
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Here are the takeaways from the Owls’ fourth win of the season:
Devin Vanterpool continues hot start to the season
Redshirt sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool came into the game as FAU’s leader in points per game (17.3), rebounds (6.8), assists (3.2) and steals (1.8). In his last performance on Nov. 17 against Coastal Georgia, Vanterpool notched the first 30-point performance for FAU since January 2024.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAgainst Pacific, Vanterpool would stuff the stat sheet once again in the win, scoring 12 points, securing five rebounds, dishing three assists and coming away with three blocks and two steals.
“I would say it starts on the defensive end,” Vanterpool said. “Caring that much to guard, and that much to get a stop on defense, it generates offense.”
Vanterpool is averaging 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game in his last three outings as he continues to grow as a leader on both ends of the floor.
“Besides him being a great human, he is a two-way player,” Jakus said. “He really showed that tonight."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOwls shoot hyper-efficiently from the field in dominant victory
Devin Vanterpool, driving to the basket against Pacific, is averaging 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.6 blocks per game in his last three outings.Florida Atlantic had about as good of an offensive performance as anyone could ask for. The Owls shot 56 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point range (11-for 26) and 81 percent from the free throw line (13-for-16).
“You miss some threes, and everybody wonders if we forgot how to shoot,” Jakus said. “Tonight shows that that probably didn’t happen.”
Of the 13 players to step on the court for the Owls, 11 scored. Vanterpool, Carlyle and Elohim each finished with double-digit scoring.
“This is exactly how we want to play, be very efficient,” Carlyle said. “Everybody on the team played their role extremely well.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFAU defense key in taking down Pacific
The Owls’ defensive effort may have been just as impressive as their offense. FAU forced 15 turnovers while also holding Pacific to 42 percent shooting from the floor, and 18 percent (2-11) from three-point range.
“I was thankful for the defense,” Jakus said. “We lost our way a little bit in the second half defensively, but then brought it back. The 2-11 from three is something I’m really proud of.”
Additionally, the Owls did an excellent job protecting the rim, coming away with eight blocks - Vanterpool and Devin Williams each had three blocks - and forcing the Tigers to shoot 7-for-19 on layups.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I think the eight blocks is something where they’re constantly looking around and wondering when it’s coming, and where it’s coming from, which is a powerful thing,” Jakus said.
“I was fortunate to wall up and get a couple of blocks,” Vanterpool added, regarding his game-high three blocks. “Just walling up and trusting our bigs.”
While the Owls had no issue generating offense, their defensive effort made it that much easier against Pacific.
The Owls scored 19 of their 82 points off Pacific’s 15 turnovers. In addition to their eight blocks, FAU came away with nine steals, and four players - Vanterpool, Carlyle, Vincent Neugebauer and Josiah Parker - had two steals each.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Anytime you can flip the floor with blocks and turnovers," Jakus said, "It's a helpful thing.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU guard Devin Vanterpool continues solid play in win over Pacific
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