DUNK CITY, Fla. – Behind a Division-I program-record-tying 34 points and a near-record 18 rebounds from Marc-Eddy Norelia, the FGCU men's basketball team (2-1) overcame a 15-point second-half deficit and six-point deficit in the third overtime to claim a 104-101 victory over Youngstown State (0-3) Saturday night in the Eagles' longest home game ever.
 
Redshirt junior Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) scored 31 of his points and grabbed 13 of his rebounds in regulation as his 34 total points equaled Bernard Thompson's record performance nearly exactly a year ago to the day (Nov. 19, 2014) against Ohio. The 18 rebounds are the second-most in D-I program history behind only the 19 that Nate Hicks pulled down in a double-overtime contest at USF in December of 2013.
 
His 18 rebounds were matched by sophomore guard Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) as the 6-5 southpaw secured 11 of his boards in the second half and overtime sessions. Terrell – who had 52 total rebounds in 33 games last year – notched his first career double-double as he tallied 12 points.
 
Freshman Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) continued his standout opening stretch as a member of the Green and Blue with 18 points, nine assists and five steals. Fellow freshman Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy) reached double-figure scoring for the first time with 10 points, and redshirt senior Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./St. John College HS) added 14 for the Eagles – 12 of which came in the overtime sessions.
 
Trailing by 15 early in the second half, FGCU got its deficit down to four, 57-53, with a little more than nine minutes remaining in regulation. However, Youngstown State responded with an 8-0 run to go up 12 with just more than five minutes left. The Eagles – who only received five total points from their seniors in regulation – showed a ton of grit and clawed all the way back to tie the game at 69 on a dunk by Norelia with 40 seconds left to force overtime.
 
In the first overtime session, the Penguins had a lead as large as five in the early stages. With YSU up three, 84-81, Terrell grabbed a crucial offensive rebound off a missed three 3-pointer, giving the Eagles an extra possession. After taking a timeout, DeBose knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer from the left wing in front of the Eagles' bench to force double overtime – the first 2-OT contest in Alico Arena history.
 
After coming from behind in regulation and the first overtime session, FGCU jumped in front in the second extra period and had a three-point lead, 91-88, with under 30 seconds remaining. However, as DeBose did for the Eagles, Youngstown State's Francisco Santiago knocked down a tying 3-pointer from the top of the arc to send the game to triple overtime –FGCU's second 3-OT contest in program history.
 
Youngstown State started as the aggressors in the third overtime and built a 97-91 lead with less than three minutes to play. But – as they did all night – the young and resilient Eagles had a response as Tucker scored three-straight points, Reid finished a reverse layup and DeBose converted two free throws to cap a 7-0 FGCU run to go ahead, 98-97, with less than a minute showing.
 
Following a pair of Cameron Morse free throws which put Youngstown State back in front, 99-98, Reid found DeBose on the baseline, and the captain hit another clutch 3-pointer to put FGCU ahead again, 101-99, and this time it would be for good. The Penguins had a 3-point attempt from Santiago to tie the game with six seconds remaining, but it missed and the Eagles sealed a frantic and gutty 104-101 victory.
 
"We probably won despite of ourselves," surmised FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "We got off to a good start and we felt pretty comfortable and then we lost complete control. But, Marc-Eddy was great to get us back in the game, and Reggie as a freshman played with terrific poise. I thought that our younger guys showed more poise – with the exception of Marc-Eddy – than our older guys, which was surprising."
 
The 104 total points are the second-most in the D-I era (since 2007-08) for FGCU as the record of 111 came in the only other triple-overtime contest in program history (since 2002-03) at Stetson in January of 2011, 111-103. The Eagles grabbed a D-I program-record 61 rebounds, seven more than the previous mark of 54 against Florida Tech on Dec. 3, 2014.
 
With Norelia and Terrell each posting 18 rebounds, it marks the first time in program history that a pair of FGCU players have each corralled at least 15 caroms in the same game.
 
Each team led by double figures in the game – the Eagles' largest edge was 11 in the first half – as the contest had 10 lead changes and was tied on 10 different occasions. The Eagles only committed 19 turnovers and were able to overcome shooting just 62 percent (26-42) from the free-throw line.
 
FGCU relied heavily on its youth as only 17 of its points came from seniors. One game after making a career-high six 3-pointers, Filip Cvjeticanin (Zagreb, Croatia/American School of Madrid) scored only three points on 1-10 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Eagles struggled from distance as they went 8-32 (25 percent), but DeBose and Terrell hit big 3s when needed.
 
Reid – who entered in the top-5 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio – played 40 minutes and turned the ball over just twice. Through his first three collegiate games, the prudent point guard has passed out 20 assists against just three turnovers. Norelia, meanwhile, increases his team-best averages to 23.3 points and 12.7 rebounds as the energetic lefty-shooting Tulane transfer posted his second-consecutive double-double after missing one in the season opener by just a single rebound.
 
The Eagles have little time to rest as they return to action at The Nest – where they are now 45-7 since 2012-13 – on Sunday night in the second game of a three-game-in-three-night stretch at 7 p.m. against North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks won their first game of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic Saturday afternoon over Bowling Green, 77-59. In the first game on Sunday at 4 p.m., Youngstown State will face Bowling Green, which dropped to 1-2 on the year with the loss to North Dakota.
 
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
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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 103-77 (.572), and in his two years with FGCU is 46-25 (.648).

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.