ATHENS, Ohio – Despite a career-high 21 points from Marc-Eddy Norelia and only eight turnovers from a predominately underclassman roster, the FGCU men's basketball team (0-1) dropped its 2015-16 season opener at Ohio (1-0) Saturday afternoon, 85-75.
 
In addition to his game-high point total, redshirt junior Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) added a team-best nine rebounds while going 7-8 from the free-throw line. Redshirt senior Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./Rice/St. John College HS) added 16 points, five assists and two steals in 36 minutes, while late addition Antravious Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks in 23 unexpected minutes.
 
Despite the inclusion of Simmons in the low blocks, the Eagles were without key low-post presence Demetris Morant as the redshirt junior continues to recover from surgery. Ohio capitalized on that and out-rebounded FGCU, 45-31, leading to a 21-8 edge in second-chance points for the Bobcats.
 
FGCU also ran into serious foul trouble as redshirt freshman Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) fouled out, and Simmons, freshman Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) and redshirt senior Filip Cvjeticanin (Zagreb, Croatia/American School of Madrid) all had four fouls. For the game, FGCU was whistled for 28 fouls compared with 17 for Ohio, leading to the Bobcats shooting 25-34 (73.5 percent) from the foul line and just 13-18 (72.2 percent) for the Eagles.
 
Trailing by 15, 75-60, with less than five minutes remaining, FGCU made a valiant effort to come back and trimmed the deficit to only six, 76-70, with a minute-and-a-half left. After freshman Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy) drew an offensive foul, FGCU got the ball back with a chance to make it a one-possession game with a minute left, but DeBose's mid-range jumper didn't fall. Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) grabbed the offensive rebound, but seconds later the Eagles turned the ball over and could get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
"The difference in the game was on the backboard," surmised third-year FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "Ohio's energy level on the backboard to give themselves second-chance opportunities was vital. For us to go on the road in the season opener with two freshman point guards and only turn the ball over eight times is great, but I was disappointed with our defense, particularly in key stretches."
 
Ohio connected at well over a 50-percent clip from the floor most of the afternoon until late in the contest, but still managed to shoot 48.3 percent (28-58) compared with 43.9 percent (29-66) for FGCU. Jaaron Simmons paced the Bobcats with 20 points – 13 of which came from the charity stripe – while Michigan State transfer Kenny Kaminski added 17 and Wadly Mompremier secured a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds – seven of which came on the offensive glass.
 
NCAA officials cleared Simmons to play around mid-day Friday as he was expected to sit out through the completion of the fall semester after transferring from VCU in December of 2014. However, FGCU officials applied for a legislative relief waiver for Simmons – who in part transferred back to South Florida for family reasons – and it was granted just more than 24 hours before the season began. Simmons flew separately and arrived at the team hotel around 9 p.m. on Friday and started for the Eagles at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Simmons was an immediate difference maker as the Eagles targeted him on the first possession of the game and he responded with a layup en route to a 5-10 performance from the floor.
 
A back-and-forth first half concluded with Ohio going on a late run to turn a 29-29 game at the 5-minute mark into a 43-36 halftime lead. The edge for the Bobcats grew to nine, 45-36, right out of the gate to begin the second half, but the Eagles responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game again. However, an extended 10-2 Ohio run put the hosts back up eight, 55-47, before eventually growing the lead to as much as 15 and holding off a late FGCU push.
 
Johnson started at point guard for the Eagles, but he and Reid only logged 14 minutes each with the foul trouble. Both were exceptional with the ball, in particular Reid as he issued five assists against just one turnover in his collegiate debut. While FGCU turned the ball over only eight times – Ohio converted all eight of those giveaways into 16 points while the Eagles turned in 16 points off 13 Bobcat turnovers.
 
Cvjeticanin knocked down three 3-pointers for nine points in the contest, while Terrell added six and Tucker had four – two of which came on a ferocious tomahawk dunk over an Ohio defender – and also had a pair of steals for the Green and Blue, who lost for the first time since 2013-14 when scoring at least 70 points (25-3 in such games since 2013-14).
 
FGCU will look to bounce back in its home opener on Monday at 7 p.m. against Texas Wesleyan. The NAIA member is off to a 3-0 start to the season. Tickets are still available and can be secured by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets, calling the Alico Arena Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 or stopping by the box office.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
An extremely limited amount of season tickets are still available for the 2015-16 FGCU men's basketball season. Single-game tickets are currently on sale. For the latest ticket information, log on to FGCUAthletics.com or call the Alico Arena Ticket Office at 239-590-7145.

SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, Like us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB and watch us on Snapchat at FGCU_MBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his third year with the Eagles in 2015-16 and coached six all-conference selections during his first two seasons. He guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to their third-straight 20-win season and third-straight postseason appearance with a berth in the CIT. 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. Dooley is in his seventh season overall as a head coach and has a record of 101-77 (.567), and in his two years with FGCU is 44-25 (.638).

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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.