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There are no more winless teams in Conference USA play after FAU defeated UTEP 73-66 in El Paso on Thursday for the Owls first win in conference play.
Center Ronald Delph keyed the victory on both sides of the court. The senior became only the seventh Owl in program history to grab 500 career rebounds, doing so early in the first half. He’d snatch 17 boards on the night, a single-game high for Delph.
“Ronald Delph was huge on the boards,” FAU coach Michael Curry told ESPN West Palm’s postgame show. “For us to out-rebound them by 16 was huge.”
A Delph hook shot midway through the second half broke a 44-44 tie, giving the Owls a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Moments later, on the Miners’ ensuing possession, Anthony Adger tracked down a shot blocked by Delph and fed Gerdarius Troutman for a three-pointer.
Delph completed that FAU offensive surge with a put-back dunk that gave the Owls a 61-48 lead – their biggest of the game. He’d finish the game with 12 points and four blocks.
UTEP followed FAU’s explosion with an 11-0 run, highlighted by three Evan Gilyard three-pointers.
Unlike previous losses FAU managed to fend off UTEP in the closing minutes. Anthony Adger and Justin Massey both converted 1-and-1s in the final minute.
The victory snapped FAU’s six-game losing streak.
GameBrowser: FAU (7-9, 3-1) 73, UTEP 66 (6-11, 1-4)
Moving Forward: Justin Massey drained three three-point shots in the first five minutes of the second half, jolting the Owls’ offense to life. Massey led the Owls with 18 points. …Forward William Pfister played a career-high 35 minutes. He only scored two points but contributed eight rebounds. …Starting his second-consecutive game at point guard, Payton Hulsey scored 14 points. …FAU out-rebounded UTEP 49-33.
Moving Backward: FAU committed nine turnovers in the first half and 13 in the game. …Reserve guard Devorius Brown had as many points, two, as he did turnovers.
Key Stat: 16 – second-chance points for FAU. UTEP wasn’t credited with any.
Up Next: FAU completes a Texas road trip on Saturday with a stop at Texas-San Antonio. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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