No. 22 Florida Atlantic notched two wins over Texas schools in the past week and will look to chalk up another when it faces North Texas on Sunday in Boca Raton, Fla.
On the road in the Lone Star State, the Owls (16-4, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) used their dynamic backcourt to turn back UTSA 112-103 in overtime and Rice 69-56 to climb into a first-place tie with Charlotte.
Guard Nicholas Boyd was instrumental in Wednesday’s win over Rice, which led a portion of the game and cut FAU’s advantage to five points with 5:30 left.
However, the Houston school missed eight of its final nine field goals and lost by double digits.
“Just staying poised. We have a veteran team,” Boyd said of his team’s reaction as Rice slashed the lead. “We called a timeout, regrouped and went back at it.”
The left-handed Boyd led FAU with 18 points and made 5 of 6 shots, including 3 of 4 from long range, and all five free throws.
He added three rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes.
While backcourt mates Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin garner the attention, Boyd contributes 10.5 points per game and is shooting 36.9 percent (24 of 65) from deep.