Greg Gantt scored 21 points and Florida Atlantic defeated Florida International 80-78 in overtime Saturday night.
The Owls (19-9, 11-3 Sun Belt Conference) erased a 76-72 deficit early in the overtime with seven unanswered points. Gantt's 3-pointer with 2:19 remaining gave Florida Atlantic the lead for good, 77-76. Jordan McCoy's two free throws with 1:31 left increased the advantage to 79-76.
Dominique Ferguson's put-back basket with 1:05 left made it 79-78. The Panthers (9-17, 4-10) twice had game-winning chances but Brett Royster blocked DeJuan Wright's shot near the basket and Phil Taylor stepped out of bounds with 2 seconds left.
McCoy finished with a career-high 19 points for the Owls. Florida Atlantic clinched the Sun Belt Eastern Division title after Middle Tennessee's loss at Arkansas-Little Rock earlier Saturday.
