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Senior forward Simon Lepichev’s putback of a Michael Forrest baseline jumper barely beat the buzzer, giving FAU an improbable 80-79 victory over UCF in Orlando on Sunday.
The upset victory over a team many picked to win the AAC gave new FAU coach Dusty May his second win in as many tries at the helm of FAU.
FAU overcame a 20-point first half deficit to rally for the victory.
“We really just focused on us, our fight, our rebounding and not turning the ball over,” May said. “If we don’t turn the ball over and we can rebound, we’re going to be a dangerous team, because we have a lot of weapons offensively.”
Officials reviewed Lepichev’s shot, ruling it passed through the hoop with .8 seconds remaining. The Owls stole the ensuing inbound pass to secure the victory.
The win gave FAU its first 2-0 start since 2010-11.
GameBrowser: FAU 80, UCF 79
Moving Forward: Anthony Adger led the Owls with 19 points. …Xavian Stapleton recorded his first double-double in a FAU uniform with 14 points and 10 rebounds, one more in each category than he had in the season opener. …Karlis Silins needed only 10 minutes of playing time to score 11 points.
Moving Backward: Forest only connected on two of his 11 shots. …Madiaw Niang missed all four of his shots, including three from behind the three-point line.
Key Stat: 40 – rebounds for FAU, two more than UCF.
Up Next: FAU heads to the Bahamas to face Georgia Southern in the opening round of the Islands of the Bahamas showcase on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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