KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Johnell Davis scored 26 points, Alijah Martin added 25 and No. 19 Florida Atlantic beat No. 12 Texas A&M 96-89 in a semifinal at the ESPN Events Invitational on Friday.
Davis and Martin combined for 11 3-pointers as FAU (4-1) went 16 of 30 (53.3%) from behind the arc.
“I thought our guys simply played off of each other and made the right plays,” FAU coach Dusty May said.
Wade Taylor IV had 35 points for Texas A&M (5-1).
Texas A&M played the second half without Henry Coleman III, who was hurt with three minutes left in the opening half and limped off the court. The forward led the Aggies with 24 points in a 89-77 win over Butler on Thursday.
“I thought our group did incredibly well without Henry and without Boots (Radford),” Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said.
After trailing by 18 points, the Aggies got within 89-84 on Taylor’s 3-point play with 1:36 to go, but Texas A&M could get no closer.
Jalen Gaffney hit a pair of long-range shots to key FAU’s 16-3 run to start the second half and take a 62-47 lead.
“Awful start,” Williams said. “Bad closeouts. Bad rotations.”
Coleman had a pair of layups to spur a first half-ending 16-6 run that got Texas A&M within 46-44.
Vladislav Goldin, a 7-foot-1 center who scored 19 points in Thursday’s 91-86 win over Butler, didn’t take his first shot until 13 minutes into the game when he converted after a rebound. It was part of a 15-0 run that included three 3s by Martin to put FAU ahead 40-28.
Goldin made a pair of key free throws in the final minute of the game and finished with 10 points.
BIG PICTURE
FAU: Last season’s surprise Final Four team looks liked it found its groove again after a stunning home 60-51 loss to Bryant last Saturday. A win in Sunday’s title game could help Owls resume their climb in the rankings.
Texas A&M: Losing to FAU will drop the Aggies in the rankings, but they will show with a victory in Sunday’s third-place game that they are still a Top 25 team.
UP NEXT
FAU: Seeks the tournament title against the winner of the Iowa State and Virginia Tech matchup on Sunday.
Texas A&M: Faces the loser of the Iowa State and Virginia Tech semifinal in Sunday’s third-place game.
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