Vladislav Goldin scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots as the 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls defeated the host Loyola Chicago Ramblers 75-62 on Wednesday night.
It was the season opener for both teams.
The Owls, who made it to the Final Four last season, also got four steals and two assists from Goldin, the towering 7-foot-1 center. His numbers represented game highs in every category except assists.
Three other Owls players scored in double figures: Nicholas Boyd (13), Brandon Weatherspoon (12) and Johnell Davis (12). Bryan Greenlee added six points and a game-high five assists.
The Ramblers were led by 6-6 forward Philip Alston, who had 15 points on 4-for-12 shooting. He added six rebounds.
Alston averaged 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds last season.
Eleven Ramblers players scored on Wednesday, including Cornell transfer Greg Dolan, Dartmouth transfer Dame Adelekun and Oral Roberts transfer Patrick Mwamba.
Dolan started and scored five points while Adelekun and Mwamba scored six each off the bench.
The Owls, who led by as many as 19 points in a game that was not close in the second half, shot 46.4 percent from the floor, including 8-for-23 on 3-pointers (34.8 percent). The Owls were also plus-two on rebounds and plus-five on forcing turnovers.
Loyola shot 43.1 percent from the floor, including 6-of-17 on 3-pointers (35.3 percent). The Ramblers were outscored 15-12 at the foul line.
Florida Atlantic, which led 43-30 at halftime, will play its home opener on Tuesday against Eastern Michigan.
The Ramblers will play host to Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
