Johnell Davis scores 24 points to lead No. 13 Florida Atlantic over Charleston 90-74

By CHUCK KING (Associated Press)

BOCA RATON — Johnell Davis scored 24, and Vladislav Goldin added 17 points and 12 rebounds to propel No. 13 Florida Atlantic to a 90-74 victory over Charleston in the finale of the Field of 68 Tipoff.

Coming off a performance without a field goal against Liberty in the Tipoff opener, Davis took over the Owls’ offense in the final 12 minutes. Davis, a junior, also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Reyne Smith led the Cougars (4-4) with 14 points.

Back-to-back Davis buckets gave the Owls (7-1) their first lead of the second half, 56-55. The Owls never looked back.

A physical game inside a charged Eleanor Baldwin Arena saw tempers flare several times. At one point, FAU coach Dusty May and Charleston coach Pat Kelsey needed to be separated by referees.

Goldin spent the final 11:40 of the first half on the bench after picking up his second foul. With the Owls primary big man sitting, Charleston outscored FAU 31-21 to take a 46-40 lead at the half.

Next up for FAU is a return to Madison Square Garden, where the Owls won the East regional last season as a No. 9 seed and earned their trip to the Final Four.

BIG PICTURE

Charleston: Guard Reyne Smith left the game with 14:46 remaining and did not return after sinking a running one-hander along the baseline, then appearing to land on an FAU defender’s foot. … Ante Brzovic came off the bench for a team-high nine rebounds.

Florida Atlantic: Starting point guard Nick Boyd missed his fifth consecutive game with what is being called a leg injury. The Owls are hopeful he’ll return for Tuesday’s game. … With Goldin in foul trouble, Giancarlo Rosado gave FAU a huge first-half boost with 14 points.

UP NEXT

Florida Atlantic: Faces No. 24 Illinois on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.