HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) B.J. Tyson had 19 points, Marshall Guilmette scored 18 and No. 8 seed East Carolina outlasted ninth-seeded Central Florida for an 81-80 overtime win in the American Athletic Conference tournament's opening game on Thursday.
Guilmette made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:33 left in overtime and Caleb White added a jumper at 3:31 to give the Pirates (14-18) all the points they would need at 81-78.
Kasey Wilson pulled UCF (12-18) within one on a pair of free throws. But East Carolina had three offensive rebounds and one steal to hold UCF to just two missed field-goal attempts for the final 3:05.
ECU jumped to a 30-13 lead and led 75-68 with 3:37 left. The Knights forced overtime by closing on an 8-1 run capped by Wilson's putback with 4.7 seconds left. B.J. Taylor led UCF with 22 points.
ECU will face top-seeded Southern Methodist on Friday in the quarterfinals.
