The Florida Atlantic Owls soared to a decisive 84-50 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ESPN Events Invitational on Wednesday night. The Owls were led by senior guard Xavian Stapleton, who scored a game-high 24 points. He was joined by junior guard Michael Forrest, who added 15 points and 7 rebounds.
The Owls dominated the game from the start, jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first half and never looking back. They shot an impressive 52.2% from the field and held the Hokies to just 33.3%. The Owls also outrebounded the Hokies 43-27 and had a huge advantage in points off turnovers, outscoring Virginia Tech 19-4 in that category.
Senior forward Jailyn Ingram was a force for the Owls, finishing with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Anthony Adger also contributed 11 points and 5 assists.
For Virginia Tech, freshman guard Nahiem Alleyne led the way with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Junior guard Tyrece Radford added 11 points and 4 assists, while freshman forward Hunter Cattoor chipped in with 8 points and 4 rebounds.
The Owls were paced by senior guard Cornelius Martin, who scored 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the victory.
The Owls will look to continue their winning ways when they take on the UCF Knights on Saturday. The Hokies will look to bounce back when they face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday.
