NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Brett Comer scored 22 points and Bernard Thompson added 19 but it wasn't enough for the FGCU men's basketball team (9-3) to overcome a hot-shooting Iona team (7-4) Tuesday afternoon as the Gaels earned an 86-67 victory.
 
Iona, which is third in the nation in 3-point percentage, connected at a 40-percent clip (10-25) from 3-point range and shot 51 percent (27-53) from the floor for the game. The Eagles shot 47.5 percent from the floor (28-59) and out-scored the Gaels in the paint, 40-32, but 27 points from A.J. English – the nation's fourth-leading scorer – and 23 more from David Laury was too much to overcome.
 
Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) scored 20 of his team-best 22 points in the first half, while Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) tallied 15 of his 19 points in the second half.
 
Iona raced out to a 49-38 halftime lead, but FGCU started to cut into that deficit early in the second half, and following a Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Olympia HS/Tulane) jumper trailed by just seven, 53-46, five minutes into the half. However, Iona responded with a 14-0 run and an extended 20-3 run to put the game out of reach.
 
"In the first half Iona did a good job getting out in transition and scoring a bunch of points, which is one of their strengths as we know and we paid for it," said FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "We missed a ton of layups, especially early, and a lot of long rebounds we didn't run down – they were more aggressive."
 
Comer and Thompson were the only two players to reach double-figure points for the Eagles as Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./St. John College HS/Rice) added eight points. Comer dished out a team-best five assists, while Brian Greene Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Thornton Township HS/Auburn) came off the bench and handed out four helpers.
 
FGCU entered the game ranked No. 14 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, while Iona was receiving votes after being ranked No. 19 last week before losing at George Mason Saturday.
 
The Eagles were again without the services of redshirt senior Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) as the combo guard served the second of a six-game suspension for a violation of team rules. Jones is averaging 11.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this year.
 
The contest with Iona marked the first in a three-game road trip for FGCU which will bridge Christmas and continues Sunday afternoon at 4 against Xavier (8-3) on Fox Sports 1. The swing then continues at Pittsburgh (8-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3. The Eagles will be back in action at home on Friday, Jan. 2, against Ave Maria at 7 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES: Iona also defeated FGCU last year, 90-72 … Iona won the rebounding battle, 39-30 … Thompson finished as FGCU's high man on the glass by corralling five … Comer made both of his 3-point shots on back-to-back possessions … FGCU struggled from the free-throw line, going just 7-15 … the Eagles committed just 10 turnovers, but Iona gave the ball away only seven times … English added a team-high five assists for Iona … Laury grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Gaels.
 
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.