JACKSONVILLE – Despite holding an 11-point first-half lead, the FGCU men's basketball team (11-7, 1-1 Atlantic Sun Conference) couldn't stop a hot-shooting North Florida team (10-9, 2-0 A-Sun) as the Ospreys shot 50 percent from the floor and made more 3-pointers than any other opponent against the Eagles this year en route to an 80-64 victory Wednesday night.
 
Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) led FGCU with 21 points, while fellow senior backcourt mate Bernard Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) added 15 before fouling out during a crucial stretch in the second half. Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./St. John College HS/Rice) added nine points for the Eagles – who shot just 37.7 percent from the floor (23-61) – a point total which was matched by Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) while going just 2-12 from the field.
 
Playing in front of a season-high 3,189 fans – nearly double its next-largest crowd this year – UNF capitalized on the frenzied home environment by shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc and knocking down 12 3-pointers (12-25). Both are season highs against FGCU, which came into the contest leading the A-Sun and ranking third in the entire nation in 3-point percentage defense (25.1).
 
"We were in a really good position early on, but a combination of them making some shots and us not playing well on defense got them back into the game," said FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "It's certainly frustrating, and as we continued to miss some pretty open and easy shots we got careless with the ball and that hurt us."
 
Dallas Moore led the charge for the Ospreys by pouring in a game-high 27 points – tied for the second-most points by any FGCU opponent this year – as the guard dished out a game-best nine assists – the most by any FGCU opponent this season. Usually a staple for FGCU, it was UNF which won the battle in bench points, out-scoring the Eagles in that category, 27-10, due solely from two men: Demarcus Daniels (15) and Trent Mackey (12), who combined to shoot 7-10 from long range.
 
Holding a seven-point edge, 21-14, a little more than 11 minutes into the game, FGCU received what appeared at the time would be a huge boost as UNF's second-leading scorer (11.3) and leading rebounder (6.6) Chris Davenport was called for two technical fouls at the 8:37 mark. Upon the big man's disqualification, FGCU held an 11-point lead, 25-14, following four-straight free throws from Thompson.
 
However, UNF rallied and closed the half on an extended 25-12 run to take a 39-37 lead into the halftime break. The Eagles opened the second half strong on both ends, and following a Thompson 3-pointer from the top of the arc had reclaimed a three-point edge, 46-43, just more than three minutes into the stanza.
 
From there, though, the Ospreys went on a game-changing 13-0 run to open up their first double-figure lead of the night, 56-46, at the 13:33 mark. Comer finally ended the run with a layup, and Thompson quickly followed with a jumper to bring the Green and Blue right back into it and down just six, 56-50, with a little more than 12 minutes showing. However, on UNF's ensuing possession, Daniels banked in a 3-pointer from the wing which turned out to be the starting point of an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to open up a 64-50 lead.
 
During the run, Thompson – FGCU's leading scorer – picked up his third and fourth fouls just five seconds apart and went to the bench. Dooley re-inserted him a few minutes later, and following a Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./Bishop Gorman HS/UNLV) put-back slam and Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) driving layup the Eagles had pulled within 10, 64-54, with 6 minutes remaining.
 
Following another defensive stand, FGCU had the ball back with a chance to trim the deficit to single digits and gain nearly all the momentum. However, trying to drive baseline, Thompson was whistled for a difficult offensive push-off foul, fouling him out at the 5:45 mark and subsequently ending the Eagles' comeback chances.
 
The game was a matchup of the A-Sun's preseason top-two teams as FGCU garnered seven of the eight first-place votes and were installed as the league favorites, while UNF received the only other first-place vote and was picked second.
 
FGCU will look to bounce back at home on Saturday night when it welcomes Jacksonville to The Nest for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Less than 400 general-admission tickets remain for the game, and they can be purchased by visiting the Alico Arena Box Office, logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets or calling 239-590-7145. The Dolphins (7-12, 1-1 A-Sun) got their first conference win of the season at home over Stetson Wednesday night, 71-69.
 
GAME NOTES: The loss snapped a streak of five-straight wins in the series by FGCU … the Eagles were out-rebounded, 35-34, and Morant grabbed a team-high seven boards and Jones added six … despite issuing only three assists, Comer once again led FGCU in that category … FGCU had a season-low six assists as a team … the Eagles finished with a 22-13 edge in points off turnovers, but had an 18-0 advantage at the half … the 22 points are a season high … the 80 points for UNF are the second-most by any FGCU opponent this year … FGCU committed just 10 turnovers, including only two in the first half … the Eagles connected at just a 20-percent clip from 3-point range (3-15).
 
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.