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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg got goosebumps after his latest rebound-hogging performance against a ranked league rival.
Lendeborg had 17 points and a season-high 21 rebounds, and Efrem Johnson made a big 3-pointer in overtime to lift UAB to a 76-73 win over No. 20 Florida Atlantic on Thursday night.
It was the Blazers’ second victory versus a ranked American Athletic Conference opponent in less than two weeks. They also beat then-No. 19 Memphis on Jan. 28, when Lendeborg had a similarly dominant performance: 23 points, 16 boards.
“It’s just a whole bunch of goosebumps,” Lendeborg said. “I feel like this is the highest point of my life so far. After the Memphis game and this game, I can’t really compare this to anything else.”
With the Owls missing their first six shots in overtime, UAB (15-8, 7-3 AAC) surged to a six-point lead. Nick Boyd’s 3-pointer cut that in half for Florida Atlantic with 1:46 left.
UAB then twice worked down the shot clock and grabbed offensive rebounds — Lendeborg grabbed the first and tipped the second out of the paint — to play keep-away with the ball. Johnson’s long 3-pointer from the top of the key made it 76-70 with 31 seconds remaining.
Alijah Martin missed a 3 at the other end but made his second try. Eric Gaines missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 10 seconds left, giving Florida Atlantic another chance, but Johnell Davis missed a contested 3 in the final seconds.
Florida Atlantic (18-5, 8-2) fell a game behind league-leading South Florida in the standings.
UAB had five scorers in double figures. Gaines had 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Christian Coleman and Johnson scored 14 apiece, and Alejandro Vasquez added 13 points.
Davis led Florida Atlantic with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists despite 5-of-21 shooting. Martin finished with 14 points and Brandon Weatherspoon had 12.
“UAB made plays down the stretch when they needed to,” said Owls coach Dusty May, a former UAB assistant. “Great college basketball game. I thought Lendeborg’s ability to get them extra possessions and control the paint was key.”
After the Memphis win, UAB also beat North Texas in overtime before losing at SMU.
“Wow. Our last two wins, the word that I would use would just be gutsy,” Blazers coach Andy Kennedy said. “I thought it was gutsy again tonight. I thought we really, really competed on the defensive end against one of the best offensive teams in college basketball.”
The Owls erased a seven-point deficit over the final five minutes of regulation, and the game went into overtime after both teams missed a pair of shots.
The Blazers, who trailed by seven at halftime, caught up when Florida Atlantic missed nine straight shots over a span of six-plus minutes.
Vasquez pushed it to 62-55 with 5:21 left on a pair of free throws and a layup.
Davis, who missed his first four 3-pointers, and Jalen Gaffney both made 3s for the Owls to close the gap.
UAB’s Javian Davis and Florida Atlantic center Vlad Goldin were called for double technicals early in the second half. The two got tangled up away from the ball and went chest to chest, then Goldin hit the floor after a shove from Davis.
That gave Davis four fouls with 17:34 left and he fouled out in the final minutes with two points, eight below his season average.
BIG PICTURE
Florida Atlantic: Shot just 33.8% from the field and fell to 0-8 at Bartow Arena.
UAB: Made 14 of 17 free throws. … Lendeborg had just eight points and five rebounds in the first meeting, an 86-73 Florida Atlantic win in Boca Raton.
UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic plays at Wichita State on Sunday.
UAB visits Tulsa on Sunday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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