SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A 10-0 run to open the second half was all the separation the FGCU men's basketball team (6-1) needed Sunday as the Eagles turned a tie game at the half into a 71-58 victory over South Dakota State (2-3) at the Sanford Pentagon in front of a sellout crowd.
 
Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) led an extremely balanced FGCU attack with 14 points, while Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./St. John College HS/Rice) added 12 and Bernard Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) finished with 11 as the Eagles claimed their sixth win in the month of November for the first time in program history. Nate Hicks (Panama City Beach, Fla./J.R. Arnold HS/Georgia Tech) nearly missed what would have been his second career double-double with nine points and nine rebounds in a starting role.
 
After getting down by as much as five in the first half, FGCU fought back and despite Comer and Thompson combining for just two points in the opening 20 minutes entered halftime tied at 31-31. The Green and Blue then blitzed the Jackrabbits to open the second half, scoring those 10 points in the first three minutes of the stanza to open up a 41-31 lead and never led by less than eight the rest of the night.
 
"I'd first like to say what an unbelievable crowd and atmosphere this was to play in. The people of the Sanford Pentagon did a first-class job," said FGCU head coach Joe Dooley in reference to the two-year old building about an hour south of SDSU's campus in Brookings. "SDSU's adrenaline to start the game got us a little off-kilter and it wasn't real pretty early. After playing out of foul trouble in the first half we got off to a great start in the second half and that really helped us."
 
The FGCU first-half foul trouble included Thompson, who played just 11 minutes and didn't score as he went 0-2 from the floor. Additionally, two fouls each to Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Olympia HS/Tulane) and Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla/Bishop Gorman HS/UNLV) hurt the Eagles in the low blocks as SDSU out-rebounded FGCU in the opening 20 minutes, 20-19. Back from a three-game suspension for a violation of team rules, Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) kept FGCU in the contest in the first half as he scored all nine of his points.
 
However, that changed in the second half as Thompson and Comer combine to score 11 of FGCU's first 15 points and the Eagles ended up with a 22-16 rebounding edge. Norelia just missed a double-double as well as he corralled six of his game-high-tying 10 rebounds in the second half to go along with eight points – five of which came in the second half.
 
After allowing SDSU to shoot 42 percent from the floor in the first half (13-31), FGCU put its ferocious defense on display in the second half, locking in and frustrating SDSU to the tune of just 23-percent shooting (7-31). The Jackrabbits entered the game connecting at a 46-percent rate from the floor, but finished at just 32 percent (20-62) as FGCU is now holding its opponents to just 35 percent on the year from the floor and 22 percent from 3-point range.
 
Deondre Parks led SDSU with 18 points, while Cody Larson finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. No other SDSU player scored more than six points as the Jackrabbits went just 4-20 from 3-point range.
 
Thompson eclipsed the 1,500-point mark for his career as the senior became the 35th player in Atlantic Sun Conference history to reach that milestone as he now has 1,505 points. Comer paced the Eagles with four assists, marking the 101st time in 111 career games he's led FGCU in assists.
 
After shooting 40 percent from the floor in the first half (12-30), FGCU connected at a 52-percent clip in the second half (13-25), including 4-5 from 3-point range to go along with a 10-12 performance from the free-throw line.
 
SDSU was the fourth opponent in the last five games for FGCU which played in a postseason tournament last year (College Basketball Invitational). Additionally, four of FGCU's last five opponents won at least 20 games last season (SDSU, 19), each of those had an RPI better than 110 and three were in the top-85. FGCU has already defeated three 20-win teams from a season ago (four including 19-win SDSU) and three which played in postseason tournaments.
 
The contest was played at the neutral-site Sanford Pentagon, although most in the sellout crowd of 3,250 were clad in blue and yellow in support of the Jackrabbits. The venue features nine courts, including the 1950's-style Heritage Court where the Eagles and Jackrabbits met. It was the second Division-I game of the season at the arena as Wichita State and Memphis played there earlier this month as part of ESPN's 24-Hour Tipoff Marathon.
 
FGCU will return to Alico Arena to face Florida Tech on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. The Division-II Panthers have started the season 7-0. A limited amount of tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office, over the phone at 239-590-7145 or online at FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. Like all FGCU home games, the contest will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
Game Notes: FGCU won five games in November of 2003-04 and 2012-13 … the game was televised by Fox Sports North, representing FGCU's first TV appearance of the season … Brian Greene Jr. issued three assists for the Eagles … the game marked the first time all season FGCU has had a full complement of scholarship players available … Marcus Blake earned the start in addition to Hicks, Comer, Thompson and Jones.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
General-admission tickets for all FGCU men's basketball games at Alico Arena are still available and can be purchased by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets, in person at the Alico Arena Ticket Office or over the phone at 239-590-7145. For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, and "Like" us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by second-year head coach Joe Dooley, who coached three all-conference selections during his first season and guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.