Johnell Davis leaned in and stroked a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left as No. 22 Florida Atlantic beat North Texas 66-63 for its sixth straight win Sunday afternoon in Boca Raton, Fla.
In a back-and-forth second half that saw neither side lead by more than four points over the final 17:09, Davis hit his sixth trey late in the possession after snaring his eighth rebound with 21 seconds to go.
Davis finished with a game-high 28 points.
A last-ditch long ball by CJ Noland was waved off as the Owls (17-4, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) beat the Mean Green (12-7, 5-2) for the fourth straight time.
Vladislav Goldin managed 13 points and eight rebounds for the Owls, who improved to 8-1 at home and moved back into a tie atop the conference.
The Owls were 24-for-57 (42.1 percent) from the floor and 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) from deep. They outrebounded UNT 38-31.
FAU led for just 3:15.
A 9 1/2-point underdog at tip-off, the Mean Green used their defense and 3-point shooting (8 of 20, 40 percent) to keep them in the tight game but lost for the second time in the past nine outings.
Robert Allen had 15 points and six rebounds, while Noland and Jason Edwards had 14 points apiece. Reserve guard John Buggs III canned 12 points by making 4 of 5 from distance. Rondel Walker grabbed nine boards.
Coming off an emotional, two-point home victory Thursday over Dallas-area foe SMU, the Mean Green broke out on a 6-0 lead behind a pair of jumpers from Edwards and a layup by Allen in the first 3:26, plus taking advantage of three Owls turnovers.
Possessing Division I basketball’s fourth-ranked defense in points per game (58.7), UNT created a slow-paced tempo, taking time off the shot clock, but finally saw FAU come alive offensively.
The homestanding club went on a 7-0 run in a span of 1:10, eventually slipping ahead when Davis popped a trey from the right wing at 8:27 for a 17-14 lead.
The Mean Green, who shot 12 of 27 (44.4 percent), used a 14-9 run to hold a 28-26 halftime lead, with Edwards notching nine points.
Tying its lowest points in a half this season when they scored 26 at Charlotte, the Owls were 10 of 28 (35.7 percent) and got 11 points from Davis.
–Field Level Media