Yaxel Lendeborg was not going to let Johnell Davis, or Alijah Martin, or Nick Boyd, get an opportunity to force another overtime. Or worse, a loss.

Following a Chris Coleman miss at the rim with only a second remaining on the shot clock, Lendeborg fought tooth and nail between four defenders before coming out with the ball and another chance to extend UAB’s advantage.

Another miss followed, this time from Eric Gaines at the elbow, but once more Lendeborg fought off a parliament of Owls for the rebound and yet another chance to plunge the dagger deeper.

“At that point, it’s really do-or-die,” Lendeborg said. “You just got to go out there and get it.”

Efrem “Butta” Johnson, after setting the offense and calling for a screen, strolled gingerly to the edge of the UAB logo, at the tip of the dragon’s fiery breath, and launched a blistering shot from distance that banked inside the rim for a two-possession lead well inside the final minute.

The Blazers rallied quickly in the second half and staved off a couple of last-second shots to earn a 76-73 overtime victory over No. 20 Florida Atlantic, Thursday, Feb. 8, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.

UAB (15-8, 7-3 AAC) entered the game at 128 in the NCAA NET rankings and earned its first Quad-1 win of the season following the victory over the Owls (25). The Blazers have also now won multiple games against ranked opponents for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.

“Our last two wins, the word I would use, the most accurate, would just be gutsy,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “It was gutsy again tonight. We really competed on the defensive end against one of the best offensive teams in college basketball. Huge win for us and proud of our guys.”

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The Blazers shot 44.4 percent overall and were 6-of-21 from three-point range and 14-of-17 at the free-throw line. UAB outrebound the Owls in the second half, earning a plus-2 edge on the glass for the game, and dominated the paint with a plus-12 advantage on inside scoring.

Florida Atlantic led by as many as nine points late in the first half and snapped a six-game winning streak in its loss to the Blazers, who have won 11 of their last 14 games.

Lendeborg finished tied with a game-high 17 points and brought down a career-high 21 rebounds against the Owls, while adding three assists, two steals and a block. He scored on consecutive layups in the first half to ignite a 13-3 run that the Blazers used to power ahead to a 21-18 lead midway through the period.

“I feel like this is the highest point in my life right now,” he said. “After the Memphis game and this game, you can’t compare it to anything else.”

Lendeborg had a 31-rebound performance during his last season in junior college but the fatigue factor following a grudge match against a Division I top-20 team was much different for the 6-foot-9 forward.

“It’s exhausting,” he said. “There was a lot of bumping and bruising down there. I’m not really used to this type of physicality but I’m getting more comfortable taking it. Battling with Vlad (Goldin) down there was really tough. Hopefully, I get a good night’s sleep and come back ready tomorrow.”

Along with Johnson and Eric Gaines, Lendeborg hit a three-pointer in the waning moments of the first frame while the Owls closed out on a 21-11 run to take a 39-32 lead into the halftime break.

“We were not finishing (in the first half) and our offensive execution was really sloppy,” Kennedy said. “We were getting out of the parameters of what we were trying to accomplish, which is to go inside. In the second half, we did a terrific job of playing through Yax.”

Coleman finished with 14 points each and five rebounds and scored three consecutive baskets to cap an early second-half 10-0 run that saw the Blazers take a 46-43 lead at the 14:33 mark of the period.

“We went to Chris and he did what we think he’s capable of every game,” Kennedy said. “That is use your quickness and athleticism to cut off the ball and finish plays at the basket. I thought him and Yax were terrific together.”

Johnson had only five points in the first half but scored nine in the second half and overtime session, adding three rebounds and two blocks along the way. He drained a three-pointer and was fouled on a subsequent attempt one possession later, making all three free throws, to push the UAB lead to 58-52 with 8:15 remaining in regulation.

Johnson’s overtime three-pointer all but sealed the win despite a three-pointer from Florida Atlantic’s Alijah Martin with 13 seconds left in overtime. Eric Gaines missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on the following possession but the Owl’s last-second shot fell flat.

“UAB made the plays down the stretch when they needed to,” Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May said. “Great college basketball game. Lendeborg’s ability to get them extra possessions and control the paint was key. Coleman came off the bench and gave them great minutes on the interior. Complement to them and this is what we expected coming into this environment.”

Returning to form in stuffing the stat sheet, Gaines had 16 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two blocks, while turning the ball over only twice. He did not score in the overtime session but had 10 points in the first half, including three of UAB’s last five made attempts.

“We’re trying to get really specific, sometimes too specific, as it relates to where people are bringing help,” Kennedy said. “This is read-one and this is read-two. Don’t go to read-three, shoot it. He’s doing a good job of understanding where the help is and more assertive to the ball.”