3 takeaways from Florida Atlantic basketball win vs. Loyola Marymount

DAYTONA BEACH — After grabbing an offensive rebound and drawing a foul while trying to put it back up, Kanaan Carlyle laid on the floor and smiled.

Florida Atlantic teammates Devin Williams and Devin Vanterpool came over and feted the junior guard with a few fake punches before helping him up. Carlyle stepped to the free-throw line and nailed both shots, applying the finishing touches to the Owls’ 76-65 victory over Loyola Marymount in the Geico Sunshine Slam.

Carlyle turned in his best performance in an FAU uniform so far Monday, Nov. 24, at the Ocean Center. The Indiana transfer played 37 minutes and scored 24 points, both game highs.

The Owls improved to 5-1, while the Lions suffered their first loss and now sit at 6-1.

“They’re a really good team,” Florida Atlantic head coach John Jakus said. “Just a one-off night, we were blessed to have this one go our way. On the whole, it made us better, and some of the attention to detail we needed tonight will certainly help us in the long run.”

Loyola Marymount did not hold a lead in the final 37 minutes, but it hung around. It was a two-point game in the last 10 minutes before the Owls began to separate themselves.

Here are three takeaways.

1. How FAU pulled away from Loyola Marymount

Florida Atlantic led 41-34 at halftime. With 12 minutes left in the second half, it had extended its lead to 11. But with two 3-pointers by Nakyel Shelton and an old-fashioned three-point play by Myron Amey Jr. over the next two and a half minutes, the Lions got right back in it at 53-51.

Then, the Owls assembled a run of their own.

They rattled off eight straight points and 17 of the next 22 over the course of 10 minutes. Seven Florida Atlantic players scored during the stretch, including five points by Carlyle. It bumped the lead to 70-56.

“The passing is probably the difference,” Jakus said. “And then defensively, I just thought we had to fix our pickup point and get back to guarding with our chests instead of our hands.”

2. Kanaan Carlyle breaks out vs. Loyola Marymount

Jakus saw the Owls’ offense flash its potential multiple times Monday.

“There’s a version of us offensively that’s pretty special,” he said, “and Kanaan’s upside is part of that.”

Carlyle’s 24 points occurred on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. He converted all seven of his free-throw attempts. He poured in 13 points in the first half and 11 in the second.

Carlyle also added five rebounds and five assists.

“I think his midrange is leading to some other things,” Jakus said. “He was hot from three early on, and when that disappeared, he finally got to the free-throw line. He’s got to pick his spots.

“When he’s on the floor without (redshirt junior guard Niccolo Moretti), he’s got to run the team. And with Nico, he’s got to know when it’s time to go. That balance, it’s something we’ll continue to manipulate as time goes on.”

Moretti tallied just two points but dished out three assists, which ranked second on the squad.

Vanterpool, a redshirt sophomore guard, and junior forward Xander Pintelon joined Carlyle in double figures with 14 points apiece.

3. FAU’s Isaiah Elohim deals with injury scare

With 13:36 left in the second half, Florida Atlantic’s Isaiah Elohim exited with a leg injury.

The sophomore guard was examined by the trainer before hobbling to his seat on the bench. He remained there until the 7:57 mark, when he subbed back in.

Elohim played for the next four minutes before checking out for the final time.

“We think he’s OK,” Jakus said. “You never know till you take the shoe off. Sometimes they play with adrenaline.”

Elohim entered the night as the Owls’ third-leading scorer at 11.2 points per outing.

He recorded eight points against the Lions and corralled six rebounds. Five of those happened on the offensive end.

“Those five offensive rebounds were a huge difference, and hopefully, we’ll have him tomorrow,” Jakus said. “He’s a big part of what we do.”

FAU will close its two-game stint in Daytona Beach with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against George Mason Tuesday. The showdown will air on CBS Sports Network.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FAU basketball separates vs Loyola Marymount with late run in Daytona