Recap: Fla Atlantic vs. Western Ky

Boca Raton, FL (Sports Network) - Greg Gantt scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Florida Atlantic Owls to an 84-78 victory over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a Sun Belt Conference tilt at FAU Arena.

Stefan Moody added 26 points for the Owls (12-15, 7-9 SBC), while Pablo Bertone chipped in with 12 points, seven assists and six boards off the bench.

For the Hilltoppers (13-13, 7-8), George Fant posted a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while T.J. Price finished with 17 points, Kevin Kaspar scored 12 and Aleksejs Rostov tallied 11 points.

FAU shot very well to start the contest, connecting on 65.4 percent of its shots from the field in the first half, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, taking a 41-34 lead into the break. WKU hit on 43.8 percent of its field goals before halftime.

After intermission the Owls made 50 percent of their field goal tries and 4- of-10 from beyond the arc. The Hilltoppers struggled from the field, making just 36.1 percent of their shots in the second half and only 2-of-13 from 3- point distance. The Owls pushed their lead to as many as 15 points in the frame and survived a late push by the Hilltoppers to secure the victory.

FAU finished with nine 3-pointers to just five for WKU. The Hilltoppers had the edge on points in the paint, 36-20, and scored 24 points off 19 turnovers by the Owls.