Bryan Sherrer scored 21 points and hit the game-winning shot with 4 seconds left Saturday as South Alabama defeated Florida Atlantic 52-51 in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
The No. 9-seeded Jaguars (17-14) advance to a quarterfinal matchup at 6:45 p.m. EST today against top-seeded Troy.
South Alabama was outrebounded 44-30, committed 17 turnovers, was just 3 for 7 from the free-throw line (Florida Atlantic was 9 of 18) and blew a 14-point second-half lead. But the Jaguars shot 40 percent from the field compared to 27 percent for the Owls.
No. 8 Florida Atlantic (14-16) had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Shavar Richardson missed a layup with 2 seconds left, and Brett Royster also missed inside after getting the offensive rebound.
Royster finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Raymond Taylor had 14 points and Greg Gantt added 12.
