Two American Athletic Conference men's basketball teams were in action Sunday (Nov. 17), as UConn defeated No. 15/6 Florida, while UCF went on the road to beat Illinois State.

UCF 67, Illinois State 65 - Box Score

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) Brandon Mahan’s put-back layup off an offensive rebound with 25 seconds left helped send Central Florida to a 67-65 win over Illinois State on Sunday.

Mahan’s shot made it 66-65, and following a Redbirds timeout, each team exchanged turnovers. Zach Copeland missed a 3-point attempt for Illinois State and Keith Fisher III fouled Mahan who made 1 of 2 foul shots. Illinois State failed to get a shot off at the end.

Collin Smith led UCF (2-1) with 18 points and Mahan scored 17 with 10 rebounds. Darin Green Jr. scored 13 and Avery Diggs added 10.

Dedric Boyd led Illinois State (2-1) with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Matt Chastain scored 12 and Antonio Reeves 11.

The Knights overcame a 34-25 halftime deficit and trailed most of the second half. Green hit a 3-pointer with 68 seconds left for UCF’s first lead of the half, 64-63. Rey Idowu gave Illinois State it’s last lead with a put-back off his offensive rebound before Mahan’s game winner.

UConn 62, Florida 59 - Box Score

STORRS, Conn. (AP) Christian Vital scored 15 points and made a key steal at the end of the game as UConn upset No. 15 Florida 62-59 on Sunday.

Tyler Polley also scored 15 points and Josh Carlton added 13 for the Huskies (2-1) who led by five points at halftime and never trailed after intermission.

A layup by Florida's Keyontae Johnson with just over a minute to go cut the lead to 60-59, but those would be the last points the Gators scored.

Vital hit two free throws with 17 seconds left and Florida had a chance to tie. But Alterique Gilbert tipped the ball out of Johnson's hands and Vital grabbed it and dribbled away, securing the win.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 15 points and eight rebounds for Florida (2-2), falling two boards shy of a fourth straight double-double. But he fouled out with 4:37 left in the game and his team trailing 53-49.

Andrew Nembhard scored Florida's next four points, including a 3-pointer that brought the Gators within a point at 54-53.

Blackshear scored the game's first two baskets, but the Gators made just four of their first 13 attempts from the floor.

But UConn had a tougher start, going without a basket for the first six minutes.

Vital got the UConn crowd into the game with a 3-pointer, a dunk and a jumper on consecutive trips down the court that gave the Huskies an 11-6 lead.

The Huskies held Florida to two Blackshear free throws over the final 4:17 of the first half and led 25-20 at halftime.