Florida Atlantic defeats Memphis in AAC men’s basketball action

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team picked up perhaps its most impressive win of the season on Sunday, beating the Memphis Tigers 89-78 in an American Athletic Conference showdown.

Kanaan Carlyle’s 17 points led the way for the Owls (11-6, 3-1). Devin Vanterpool notched a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double – adding 7 assists and 3 steals – while Devin Williams scored 12 points and had 7 blocks.

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The Owls survived a late surge from the Tigers (7-8, 2-1) to pull off a double-digit home win against the defending AAC champions. That’s a good start to 2026 for FAU, following up its 76-71 road win over UAB last week with an emphatic victory over Memphis.

More FAU basketball: Florida Atlantic men’s basketball opens AAC play by blowing out USTA

The Owls are back in action on Jan. 15, hosting Wichita State.

“Today is not about me, or us really, it’s about FAU,” head coach John Jakus said. “We just want to keep growing what we’ve got going on.”

Here are the takeaways from FAU’s 11th win of the season:

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Owls play suffocating defense to beat Tigers

FAU’s Devin Williams drives to the basket during Sunday’s win against Memphis.

Florida Atlantic’s defensive effort carried much of the weight in the win over Memphis.

The Owls forced 15 turnovers and had 9 blocks and 8 steals. Despite Memphis shooting 45 percent from the floor, and 43 percent from three-point range, FAU won the battle on the margins.

Williams’ 7 blocks proved huge. The 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore forward has been one of the best rim protectors in the country this season. He entered Sunday’s matchup averaging an AAC-leading 2.8 blocks per game, also tied for the fourth-highest mark nationally.

“I mean, really, really special,” Jakus said of Williams. “Anytime they’re near the rim, they’re almost chucking it 15 feet in the air just to try to avoid him. We’re growing defensively.”

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Owls dominate battle of rebounds

FAU was a force on the glass,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/florida-atlantic-defeats-memphis-aac-214638414.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-11 21:46:00

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