Alijah Martin scored 20 points and Vlad Goldin added 18 points and seven rebounds as No. 13 Florida Atlantic cruised past Liberty 83-58 on Thursday night in the opening game of the Field of 68 Tipoff Classic.
The Owls extended a 15-point halftime lead to 29 in the second period and handed Liberty (6-1) its first loss of the season.
Playing at home for the first time since its Nov. 18 upset loss to Bryant, FAU (6-1) overcame a sluggish shooting start by pounding the ball inside — where Liberty had no answer for Goldin and Martin. The duo combined for 24 of the team’s 44 first-half points, with only one field goal — Martin’s 3-pointer — coming outside the lane.