Vladislav Goldin scored six of his team-high 20 points in overtime to help No. 20 Florida Atlantic defeat host Wichita State 95-82 on Sunday afternoon in American Athletic Conference play.
The Owls outscored Wichita State 21-8 in the extra period.
The Owls (19-5, 9-2 AAC) had five scorers in double figures. Joining Goldin were Brandon Weatherspoon (19 points), Johnell Davis (14), Bryan Greenlee (11) and Alijah Martin (11).
The Shockers (10-14, 2-9) were led by Xavier Bell with 25 points. Colby Rogers added 21 points.
Goldin headlined a 12-4 run for Florida Atlantic to open up a 55-48 lead. The Owls made six straight field goals, including three by Goldin during that stretch. The Shockers managed to cut their deficit to two thanks to a Rogers triple with 10:17 left in regulation, but the Owls then stretched the lead to nine points at 68-59.
Once again, Wichita State responded, this time with a 7-0 run to make it 68-66 with just over four minutes remaining. The Shockers had multiple possessions with a chance to tie or take the lead, but they couldn’t do so until Bell hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down and 42 seconds left, giving Wichita State a 73-72 lead.
Greenlee was fouled driving to the basket with 30 seconds left. He hit both free throws to give Florida Atlantic a 74-73 lead.
Bell then made 1 of 2 free throws with 15 seconds left as Wichita State tied it. The Owls bobbled an inbounds pass with two seconds left, but Wichita State’s game-winning attempt caromed off the rim.
Florida Atlantic scored the first six points of overtime and wasn’t threatened from there.
Wichita State started strong against Florida Atlantic once again. After taking an 11-point lead into halftime before losing 86-77 in the teams’ first meeting in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this season, the Shockers led by as many as six in the first half on Sunday. Both teams traded runs, and there were five ties and seven lead changes before the break. The Owls took a narrow 38-36 lead into the locker room.
Weatherspoon led all first-half scorers with 10 points for the Owls. Wichita State was led by Bell and Rogers with eight points apiece in the half.
–Field Level Media
