Gantt scores 21 to help Florida Atlantic hold off South Alabama 70-59

Florida Atlantic holds off South Alabama 70-59

MOBILE, Ala. — Greg Gantt scored 21 points as Florida Atlantic used two big runs to defeat South Alabama 70-59 on Thursday night and win its fourth straight game.

The Owls (11-10, 7-3 Sun Belt Conference) trailed 16-6 early, then used a 17-3 spurt to lead by four. Florida Atlantic led 29-27 at the half and built 43-35 lead.

South Alabama (12-10, 4-6) pulled even at 50. Tied again at 53 with 5:09 remaining, Gantt hit back-to-back 3s to spark a 13-0 run.

Gantt has scored at least 20 points in five of the last seven games. Sanchez Hughley added 16 points for Florida Atlantic.

The Owls were 10-for-27 from beyond the arc and 25-for-63 (39.7 percent) from the field, compared to 19-for-58 (32.8 percent) shooting by the Jaguars, who have lost three straight.

Tim Williams led South Alabama with 14 points and Philip Tabet had eight points and 10 rebounds.