CHICAGO — Vladislav Goldin had 19 points and 10 rebounds and No. 10 Florida Atlantic beat Loyola Chicago 75-62 in the teams' season opener on Wednesday night.
Nick Boyd scored 13, while Johnell Davis and Brandon Weatherspoon added 12 apiece. Boyd and Weatherspoon each hit three 3-pointers, and the balanced Owls showed why they have their sights on the NCAA championship coming off a surprising run to the Final Four. With all five starters back and only one player gone from a team that went 35-4 and got knocked out by San Diego State in the semis on a buzzer-beating jumper, FAU is off to a good start.
The Owls went on a 17-2 run in the first half to break open a two-point game. They withstood several pushes in the second half by Loyola — no stranger to surprising Final Four runs — and opened their sixth season under coach Dusty May on a winning note.
Philip Alston led the Ramblers with 15 points.
Loyola's Sister Jean was on hand for the game, which was part of a doubleheader sponsored by Barstool Sports, with Arizona State playing Mississippi State later. The beloved 104-year-old nun had to like what she was seeing when Alston scored in the paint to cut it to 24-22.
Weatherspoon quickly quieted the crowd at Wintrust Arena — about 10 miles south of Loyola's home on the Far North Side — when he nailed a 3 to start a 17-2 run. Bryan Greenlee finished it with a layup that bumped the lead to 41-24 with 1:47 remaining in the half.
FAU led by 18 early in the second before Loyola scored 11 straight, pulling within 50-43 on a corner 3 by Patrick Mwamba. But FAU regrouped.
It was 56-48 when Goldin scored on a hook. Boyd scored on a fastbreak layup, Weatherspoon hit a free throw and Jalen Gaffney hit a jumper to bump the lead to 63-48 with just under eight minutes remaining.