The Florida Atlantic men's basketball team picked up their first American Athletic Conference victory of the season, winning a 78-76 Sunday afternoon thriller against East Carolina.

The Owls (8-7, 1-1 AAC) debuted a new starting lineup to take down the Pirates (8-7, 0-2 AAC) in a matchup that came down to the final buzzer.

The Owls offense got off to a strong start by utilizing both the paint and open three-point shots, jumping out to a 15-2 lead sparked by 10 unanswered points. FAU converted six of their first seven attempts from beyond the arc and showcased their emphasis on ball movement with 13 assists on their 16 field goals in the first frame.

Eight different Owls found a bucket in the opening period. Making the first start of his collegiate career, redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll scored seven points to tie for the team lead along with junior guard Leland Walker.

FAU maintained a wire-to-wire lead throughout the entire half, but the Pirates battled back from their double-digit deficit. A lob from Walker to freshman center Matas Vokietaitis in the closing seconds gave the Owls a 40-36 advantage entering the locker room.

Carroll continued to shine in the final 20 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and staying busy on the defensive end with two steals and two blocks.

A back-and-forth second half saw six lead changes. With four and a half minutes remaining and trailing by one, Walker found redshirt senior guard Ken Evans Jr. who drilled a three-pointer from the right wing to give the Owls a one-point advantage that they ultimately never relinquished. Evans Jr. added another from the same spot with under a minute remaining to put FAU up 78-72.

The Pirates ended up with the ball in the game's closing seconds, missing three shots in a row as the buzzer sounded to give the win to Florida Atlantic for Head Coach John Jakus' first career conference victory.

• Evans Jr. and Carroll tied for the team lead with 17 points each
• As a team, the Owls dished out 24 assists, tied for second most on the season, on their 31 baskets, led by Walker with seven
• Walker's balanced game also saw him record 14 points and haul in five rebounds
• For the second time this season, Florida Atlantic shot 50% from beyond the arc
• FAU converted 53.4% of their field goal attempts while holding ECU to just 38.2% from the field
• The Owls tied their season high in blocks with six

Florida Atlantic remains in North Carolina, heading to Charlotte to take on the 49ers on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Airing on ESPN+, the matchup tips off at 7 p.m.