SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The FGCU men's basketball team (10-6) shot just 29 percent from the field in the first half and committed 19 turnovers in the game which led to 26 points for host UC Santa Barbara (7-7) as the Eagles concluded their non-conference schedule with a 63-50 setback to the Gauchos Monday night at The Thunderdome.
 
After not scoring and attempting just two shots in the first half, Bernard Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) exploded in the second half for FGCU and finished with a team-high 16 points while grabbing a team-best seven rebounds. Thompson was the lone double-figure scorer for the Eagles as redshirt junior Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./St. John College HS/Rice) added nine. Freshman Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) came off the bench to tally seven points and corral six rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.
 
After shooting only 7-24 in the first half, FGCU connected at a 52-percent clip in the second half (11-21). However, after 10 first-half turnovers for FGCU led to 11 UCSB points, the Eagles committed nine more in the second stanza which turned into 15 points for the Gauchos. The Eagles out-shot UCSB from the floor – 40 percent (18-45) to 38 percent (23-61) – but the +21 edge in points off turnovers for the Gauchos was too much to overcome.

The 26 points off turnovers are by far the most FGCU has allowed this year (18 at Pittsburgh being the second-most), and it also represents the first time the Eagles have out-shot their opponents and lost this year (10-1).
 
With the ball and a chance to cut the deficit to potentially just two late in the first half, an FGCU turnover spearheaded a quick 4-0 spurt by the Gauchos which turned a 22-17 game into a 26-17 contest with less than two minutes remaining before the break. From there the Gauchos, who lost in overtime at FGCU in November, didn't allow the Eagles to get within single digits the rest of the night.
 
"They were very aggressive, especially in the first half, and we weren't," FGCU head coach Joe Dooley surmised. "They got after it on the offensive glass as well. We turned the ball over a lot and they converted those into a bunch of points. We've got some things to work on and we'll work on them this week."
 
FGCU concludes its 16-game non-league slate with a Division-I program-record 10 wins, but the Eagles have lost four of their last five after starting 9-2. The Green and Blue was again without redshirt senior Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) who was serving the final game of a six-game suspension for a violation of team rules. Jones, who averages 11.1 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in FGCU's 81-75 victory over UCSB at Alico Arena earlier this season.
 
The second matchup of the year between the Gauchos and the Eagles featured the NCAA's active career assist leader in FGCU's Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) and the NCAA's active career rebounding leader in UCSB's Alan Williams. Comer, who played just two non-injury and non-foul-related minutes in the second half, issued a season-low-tying three assists and now has 728 for his career, while Williams grabbed 13 boards and now has 983 for his career.
 
Williams added a team-high 11 points for the Gauchos, who despite their sub-.500 record entering the game had a top-145 RPI as a result of playing several quality teams. Michael Bryson tallied 11 points for the Big West Conference member, a total matched by John Green. For the game, UCSB grabbed 16 offensive rebounds.
 
After playing four of its last five games away from home and in four different states since Dec. 23, FGCU will land back at The Nest when it looks to get back on track and open its defense of the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season championship against in-state foe Stetson (5-10) on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. Jones, a Preseason First Team All-Conference selection, will be eligible to return to the Green and Blue's lineup.
 
The game will be the second of a doubleheader as the FGCU women (13-2, RPI: 14) battle the Hatters (11-3, RPI: 42) in a pivotal matchup laced with postseason ramifications at 4 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES: FGCU entered the game ranked No. 15 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 and with an RPI of 136 … after going 2-8 from the 3-point line in the first half, FGCU went 5-9 in the second stanza as Thompson accounted for four of the makes … Comer still led the team in assists despite playing just 20 minutes … Nate Hicks scored six points and grabbed five rebounds for the Eagles … Logan Hovey missed his second-straight game with an eye injury … Marc-Eddy Norelia contributed six points in a starting role.
 
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.