Charleston, SC.- Following dominant wins in Round One of the Charleston Classic, Drake vs Florida Atlantic became must watch TV.

This morning (November 22), the Drake Bulldogs (4-0) faced off against the FAU Owls (4-2) in a matchup that’ll surely have serious tournament implications when we get to March. Two very good basketball teams facing off with all the hype surrounding them, this will definitely be a resume building game.

FAU opened up this game with a bang taking an early scoring run over Drake. As the first half ran on, Drake gained offensive momentum, bringing the game within reach. As every shot fell, blows were traded and leads were exchanged. The Owls freshman big man, Matas Vokietatis was fortifying the paint, knocking down an early 6 points and 4 boards. FAU’s guards got in on the action as Ken Evans and Kaleb Glenn came away with 6 points themselves.

Drake’s offensive production was carried by an 11 point first half from the sniper Mitch Mascari, who put on a show from beyond the arc. Mascari drained 3/4 3’s during the first half, and then carried momentum into the second half, finishing the game with 22 points.

As the first half came to a close, FAU trailed Drake 32-28.

FAU came out of the intermission swinging, as Matas Vokietatis, KyKy Tandy and Leland Walker all collaborated to tie this game once again. From there, the back and forth action continued, as for the next four minutes leads changed and nails began to bite. Just under twelve minutes remaining in the game, Drake sparked a run, as Mascari banged a deep three. From there, Drake flew into a 51-42 lead, before the Owls struck back with a fast break layup from Tre Carroll.

FAU slowly crawled their way back into the matchup with two deep corner threes from Ken Evans Jr. and Baba Miller, cutting things 63-57. Unfortunately for the Owls, Drake began to heat up once more, taking their lead 73-63 with under a minute remaining.

As Drake dribbled out the clock, the final buzzer sounded as Drake defeats FAU 75-63.

Box Score Leaders:

FAU:

Leland Walker- 14 Points, 5 Assists

Matas Vokietatis- 10 Points, 7 Rebounds

Tre Carroll- 10 Points

Ken Evans- 9 Points

Drake:

Mitch Mascari- 22 Points, 6/8 3Pt, 3 Rebounds

Bennett Stirtz- 17 Points, 6 Assists

Isaiah Jackson- 9 Points, 10 Rebounds

Analysis:

FAU’s perimeter defensive struggles showed once again. The Owls have seriously struggled defending from beyond the arc. Offensively, FAU lacked the offensive efficiency they’ve displayed all season. Things just weren’t clicking on either side of the ball for the Owls.

Drake advances to 5-0 on the season, and will face the winner of Seton Hall v Vanderbilt on Sunday, November 24. Tip off is slated for 8:30 P.M.

FAU falls to 4-3 on the year. The Owls move into the losers bracket, and will face off against the loser of Seton Hall v Vanderbilt for third place in the tourney. Tip off is Sunday at 12:30 P.M.

Cover Photo Credits: FAU Athletics