DUNK CITY, Fla. – Looking to snap a three-game losing streak, the FGCU men's basketball team (9-5) returns home for the first time in two weeks when it hosts local NAIA foe Ave Maria (7-5) at Alico Arena on Friday at 7 p.m.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
FGCU, ranked No. 15 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, is coming off an extremely challenging three-game road trip which bridged Christmas. The Eagles started the trip at Iona (RPI: 94) before continuing versus Xavier (RPI: 43) and concluding it two days later against Pittsburgh (RPI: 65). The three-game losing streak is the just the second for FGCU since the start of the 2012-13 season, as the Eagles look to get back on track in their non-conference finale at The Nest, where they are 35-4 over the past 2+ seasons.
 
Ave Maria defeated Saint Xavier (No. 15 in NAIA Division II) on Tuesday, 67-61, in its first game since Dec. 20. The Eagles and Gyrenes have met four previous times, with FGCU winning those matchups by a combined 93 points, including last year's 72-55 triumph.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Tickets are still available and can be purchased in person at the Alico Arena Ticket Office, calling 239-590-7145 or logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. Like all FGCU home games, the contest – presented by Shula's Steak House Naples – will be broadcast on ESPN3 and via the Watch ESPN app. David Moulton will handle the play-by-play duties with J. Webb Horton serving as the analyst.
 
TWEETABLES (5 Things To Know In 140 Characters Or Less)
1) The Eagles have not lost four games in a row since Nov. 19-27, 2011, when they fell to SMU, Miami, Maryland and Loyola (Md.).
2) FGCU has allowed its last six opponents to shoot better than 40 percent, something which occurred just once through the first eight games.
3) Jamail Jones (11.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) will be serving the fifth game of a six-game suspension for a violation of team rules.
4) After finishing 189th in the nation in 3-point percentage defense last year (34.6), FGCU is fifth in the country this year (26.5).
5) FGCU will be looking to win a D-I program-record 10th non-conference game of the season (previous record: 8 in 2012-13).
 
SCOUTING AVE MARIA
^ Ave Maria University is an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) school which competes in the Sun Conference and has an enrollment of roughly 1,000.
^ Founded in 2003, the university moved to its permanent campus in Ave Maria (20 minutes east of Naples) in 2007.
^ The Gyrenes have faced one other D-I team this year, losing to FAU, 54-43, on Nov. 30.
^ Jelani Bonner leads a trio of double-figure scorers for Ave Maria at 14.4 points per game. The senior also paces the Gyrenes with 8.7 rebounds per contest.
^ Head coach Ken Dagostino played at Iona and was the captain of the 2006 MAAC championship team which lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to 4th-seeded LSU.
 
#NESTPROTECTED
FGCU is 35-4 at Alico Arena since the start of the 2012-13 season. The four losses have come to Lipscomb, Iona, Mercer and FIU, snapping – respectively – a nine-game home-court winning streak, another nine-game streak, a 12-game stretch and a four-game run. FGCU went 15-1 in 2012-13, 15-2 last year and is 5-1 this season.
 
Furthermore, against non-conference opponents during the regular season, FGCU is now 23-2 at The Nest since 2011-12. The Green and Blue went 5-0 in 2011-12, 7-0 in 2012-13, 6-1 in 2013-14 and is 5-1 so far this season. The loss last year to Iona snapped a 15-game winning streak at Alico against non-conference opponents.
 
LAST TIME OUT
For the second-straight game FGCU turned the ball over 16 times as Pittsburgh (10-3) shot 54 percent from the field for the game to defeat the Eagles Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center, 71-54.
 
Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./St. John College HS/Rice) led FGCU in scoring for the second game in a row with 12 points, while Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) added 10, Eric Moeller (St. Louis, Mo./De Smet HS/Missouri/College of Central Florida) tallied a season-high nine and Bernard Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) netted nine as well.
 
Despite shooting 46 percent from the floor (23-50), FGCU couldn't overcome the 16 turnovers, which are tied for the second-most in a game this year. The Eagles gave the ball away nine times in the first 10 minutes of the game, leading to nine Pitt points. In the second half, the Panthers at one point had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds, 6-5, leading to a 12-0 edge in second-chance points just eight minutes into the half.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Thompson is the only active player (any division) with at least 1,600 career points (1,605), 500 career rebounds (522) and 225 career steals (234). Earlier this year the guard posted a D-I program-record 34-point performance in a victory over Ohio.
 
#DUNKCITY MAESTRO
With 104 assists on the year, Comer ranks second in the nation in total assists (just two behind leader Shannon Scott from Ohio State), while his 7.4 assists-per-game average is third in the country. Comer leads all active players in the NCAA (any division) with 713 career assists as the Dunk City orchestrator is already the Atlantic Sun Conference's career assist leader. Comer – who has been tabbed by ESPN as the country's seventh-best point guard – is second in the nation in assist rate at 50.6 percent (assists divided by the field goals made by the player's teammates while he is on the court).
 
ODDS & ENDS
All 14 players who were dressed for the Pitt game appeared in the contest … Comer will tie 2013 graduate Sherwood Brown on FGCU's career games played list (4th, 119) with an appearance against Ave Maria … Thompson has led FGCU in rebounding each of the last three games.
 
CHALLENING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Pittsburgh was the latest test in a challenging non-conference docket for the Eagles. FGCU has already defeated four 20-win teams from a season ago (UC Santa Barbara, Ohio, San Francisco, Massachusetts) and another (South Dakota State) which won 19 contests. The Eagles – who can add another 20-win opponent to that list with another victory on Monday over UC Santa Barbara – have played four teams which rank in the top 65 of the current RPI (Xavier (43), Green Bay (51), Massachusetts (52) and Pittsburgh (65)). In total, FGCU will play eight non-conference games against teams currently ranked in the top 135 of the RPI (Iona (94), twice versus UC Santa Barbara (130) and South Dakota State (134)). FGCU (117) is the highest-ranked A-Sun team in the RPI (USC Upstate (160)).
 
A-SUN STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Olympia HS/Tulane) leads the team and is second in the A-Sun with 6.4 rebounds per game … Thompson ranks third in the league in scoring (15 per game) … Comer has 46 more assists than anyone else in the conference … Thompson is second in the league with 35 made 3-pointers … Nate Hicks (Panama City Beach, Fla./J.R. Arnold HS/Georgia Tech) is tied for lead in the A-Sun with 1.2 blocks per game … FGCU leads the A-Sun in 3-point percentage defense (26.5), 3-point percentage (38.9), rebounds per game (38.5) and assists per game (15.6).
 
#DEPTHCITY
FGCU had five different leading scorers in the first eight games this year. The team has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game and boasts five players averaging at least 9 points per game and seven players who are averaging at least three rebounds per game.
 
RETWEETS
1) FGCU has four opponents this year which are ranked or receiving votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
2) Thompson has been named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Watch List, awarded annually to the nation's top mid-major player.
3) The 43 and 47 points FGCU held Marist and San Francisco to earlier this year, respectively, were the second and third fewest in non-conference D-I program history.
4) ESPN has named Thompson as the nation's No. 8 best returning dunker in college basketball.

THE MOST PROLIFIC SENIOR BACKCOURT IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Thompson and Comer are not only the best backcourt in the A-Sun but also one of the best in the nation, and based on the following numbers the best senior backcourt duo in all of D-I basketball. No other senior backcourt duo has combined to produce more stats than the following:
 
Points: 2,833
Next closest: 2,717 by Saah Nimley & Arlon Harper (Charleston Southern)
Assists: 924
Next closest: 819 by Raheem Appleby & Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech)
Games Played: 234
Next closest: 226 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
Games Started: 227
Next closest: 197 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
Minutes: 6,859
Next closest: 6,413 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
 
THOMPSON
Points: 1,605 – A-Sun active career leader, 26th on the all-time conference scoring list and tops on the FGCU program career scoring record. If Thompson scores 605 points (20 points per game over the regular season), he would become only the eighth player in A-Sun history (first season: 1978-79) to reach 2,000 career points. The A-Sun career scoring record is held by Willie Jackson (2,535) who played for former league member Centenary from 1980-84. Thompson is currently 13th among all active D-I players for career points.
 
Steals: 234 – Fourth among all active D-I players, Thompson is already FGCU's program career leader, and needs just 26 more thefts this year to own the A-Sun career record (259), currently held by Vaughn Williams who played at former league member Arkansas-Little Rock from 1980-83.
 
COMER
Assists: 713 – Comer is 26 assists ahead of his next closest active competitor (Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith, 687). Of the 118 career games he has played in, Comer has led FGCU in assists 107 times.
 
A-SUN FAVORITES
For the second-straight season, FGCU is the preseason league favorite to win the A-Sun, and the Eagles were a near-unanimous selection. FGCU garnered seven of the eight first-place votes in the coaches' poll (63 points), while it received 25 of 26 first-place votes in the media poll (207 points).
 
Thompson was named the A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year and the A-Sun Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – the first time in at least five years the same player has been recognized with both awards. Comer and  Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) join Thompson on the A-Sun Preseason All-Conference Team as FGCU is the only school with two unanimous selections (Comer and Thompson), and is tied with the University of North Florida for the most all-league selections with three.
 
GROWING UP QUICKLY
Despite only becoming D-I postseason eligible in the 2011-12 season, FGCU has already claimed an impressive nine wins in the postseason.
 
7-2: Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
FGCU is the only school in D-I history to reach the championship game of its conference tournament in each of its first three seasons of eligibility. The Eagles went 2-1 in 2012 (lost to Belmont), 3-0 in 2013 (defeated Mercer) and 2-1 in 2014 (lost to Mercer).
 
2-1: NCAA Tournament
FGCU became the first school in NCAA history to reach the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 15 seed in 2013 when the Eagles defeated No. 2 Georgetown and No. 7 San Diego State en route to captivating the nation and earning the #DunkCity moniker. The Green and Blue lost to No. 3 Florida in the next round.
 
0-1: NIT
FGCU won the program's first A-Sun regular-season championship in 2014 courtesy of a 14-4 league mark. The Eagles received a No. 8 seed in the NIT and traveled to No. 1 Florida State, falling just short (58-53) to the eventual NIT semifinalists.
 
THE ONLY ONE
FGCU is the only school in the Atlantic Sun Conference which has won an A-Sun Men's Basketball Championship. Conference re-alignment has drastically altered the landscape of collegiate athletics, and the A-Sun is no different. The Eagles joined the league in 2007-08 with USC Upstate, and prior to that North Florida and Kennesaw State both joined for the 2005-06 season. Lipscomb has been a member since 2003-04, Jacksonville since 1998-99 and Stetson since 1986-87. Northern Kentucky is in its third year in the A-Sun after joining in 2012-13 and has two years (including this season) of its NCAA-mandated Division-I reclassification period remaining.
 
A-STUN CONFERENCE
The Atlantic Sun Conference has been the talk of the college basketball world the last two postseasons as FGCU and Mercer (now a Southern Conference member) have both been responsible for three major upsets in the NCAA Tournament, affectionately turning the A-Sun into the A-Stun.
 
2013 NCAA Tournament: No. 15 FGCU 78 No. 2 Georgetown 68
2013 NCAA Tournament: No. 15 FGCU 81 No. 7 San Diego State 71
2014 NCAA Tournament: No. 14 Mercer 78 No. 3 Duke 71
 
AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
For the second-consecutive year FGCU was selected by ESPN for inclusion in the worldwide leader's Midnight Madness coverage when the Eagles hosted Dunk City After Dark on Oct. 17. With that honor, FGCU joined only four other extremely tradition-rich programs which can boast that claim: Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and UConn.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will conclude its non-conference schedule when its challenging road non-league docket continues by traveling across the country to meet UC Santa Barbara (5-7) on Monday at 10 p.m. EST. The contest will be the second of the year between the two teams as the Gauchos were defeated by the Green and Blue at The Nest in November, 81-75, in overtime.
 
Following the meeting with UC Santa Barbara, FGCU will open its defense of the A-Sun regular-season championship by hosting in-state foe Stetson on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. The game will be the second of a doubleheader as the women (12-2 and No. 15 in the RPI) battle the Hatters in a pivotal matchup at 4 p.m.
 
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.