DUNK CITY, Fla. – Despite another strong effort against a top-70 opponent, the FGCU men's basketball team (6-6) fell just short in a 66-63 setback to Louisiana Tech (10-2) Tuesday night at Alico Arena in the Eagles' final game before the Christmas break.
 
FGCU held LA Tech to its season low in points and 3-pointers made (two), but the Eagles were able to score just five points in the final five minutes en route to a second loss in four days to teams with a combined record of 20-4.
 
Sophomore Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) led FGCU with 16 points – 12 of which came in the second half – as he paced the Eagles in that category for the fifth time this season. Redshirt junior Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) recorded his second career double-double with 11 points and a team- and season-best 10 rebounds, while freshman Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy) reached double figures for the third time this year with 10 points – seven of which came off the bench in the first half.
 
With 30 seconds remaining and LA Tech up 63-61, Merrill Holden missed two free throws for the Bulldogs, but Jacobi Boykins came flying in from beyond the 3-point line and had an uncontested putback off the second miss to push the lead back to four. However, replay showed Boykins well below the free-throw line before the ball hit the rim – a violation for a player not on the low blocks – but the play is not correctable and officials could not review.
 
On the ensuing FGCU possession, Terrell drove to the hoop and finished to cut the deficit to two, 65-63. The Eagles immediately fouled Alex Hamilton, who stepped to the line with 25 points. But Hamilton missed the first, made the second and the Eagles had another opportunity to tie the game with 20 seconds to play. Trying to get a quick two points, LA Tech's defense stifled the Eagles' attack and Terrell had to settle for a long, off-balanced 3-pointer with a couple seconds left which came up short.
 
"The two plays that encapsulated the whole game for me were the last play of the first half and the putback off the free throw at the end," surmised FGCU head coach Joe Dooley, whose team allowed a full-court pass and dunk off a made field goal just before the first-half buzzer. "We've been talking about a lot of the same things and we need to correct them. We can't give up 15 offensive rebounds and win; energy finds the ball and they had more energy. Also, we missed some timely shots and they made some timely shots, and that usually ends up getting you beat."
 
Hamilton finished with 26 points on 12-16 from the floor for the Bulldogs – the most points a player has scored against FGCU in regulation this year. Erik McCree was the lone other double-figure scorer for LA Tech as he tallied 12 and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who shot 45.3 percent from the floor but attempted 13 more shots than the Eagles (29-64 compared with 22-51) en route to a +7 margin in second-chance points, 16-9.
 
"Hamilton controlled the game – especially in the second half – as he was able to get to the paint whenever he wanted and really did a good job of creating pace," added Dooley.
 
The 66 points for LA Tech are two below their previous low which came in a 94-68 loss at Memphis. The only other loss for the Bulldogs this year was at Ole Miss, 99-80, as LA Tech earlier this year won at Ohio State – which on Saturday defeated Kentucky.
 
The Bulldogs entered the contest with an official RPI of 69, marking the second-straight loss for FGCU by less than five points to a top-70 team as the Eagles fell, 56-52, to RPI 43 South Dakota State on Saturday. The youthful Eagles came into the game with 84 percent of their points, 86 percent of their rebounds and 87 percent of their assists coming from non-seniors.
 
FGCU was uncharacteristically out-rebounded by a wide margin, 39-30, and was out-scored in the paint by 16, 46-30, representing the largest differential this year as even SEC members Texas A&M (+8) and Florida (+12) couldn't reach that total.
 
After turning the ball over nine times in the first nine minutes mostly against LA Tech's full-court pressure, FGCU settled down and committed just seven giveaways over the final 30 minutes. However, after shooting 4-8 from 3-point range in the first half and a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line to take a 36-32 lead into the locker room, the Eagles went just 1-6 and 8-13, respectively, in the second half.
 
The road for FGCU doesn't get any easier as the Eagles will play their third opponent from the Dakotas this year when it travels to Sioux Falls to face the University of South Dakota (7-5) at the Sanford Pentagon at 7 p.m. local and 8 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Dec. 28. The Coyotes are ranked 105 in the RPI and will represent the sixth opponent through 11 Division-I games this year for FGCU ranked in the top 105.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are currently on sale for all remaining home contests. 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 107-82 (.567), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 50-30 (.625).
 
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.