DUNK CITY, Fla. – Riding a four-game winning streak, the FGCU men's basketball team (10-7, 1-0 A-Sun) continues Atlantic Sun Conference action Thursday night at home against league newcomer NJIT (9-8, 0-1 A-Sun) at 7 p.m.
 
OPENING TIP
FGCU and New Jersey Institute of Technology both opened conference action at home on Saturday, with the Eagles running away to a commanding 82-53 victory over Stetson, while the Highlanders overcame a 17-point second-half deficit but lost on a tip-in at the buzzer versus USC Upstate. In the A-Sun Preseason Poll, FGCU was selected to finish 2nd, while NJIT was tabbed for a 3rd-place finish.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Tickets are still available and can be secured by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office. For those not able to make it to The Nest, the game – like all FGCU home contests – will be broadcast on ESPN3 and via the WatchESPN app with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call. Additionally, live stats are available, and a multitude of social media platforms can also be accessed at the top of this release for fans to keep up with the action and behind-the-scenes coverage.
 
The contest – presented by the Diamond District – will be the fifth of a six-game homestand for the Eagles, who will have played nine of 10 at The Nest following Saturday's tilt with USC Upstate. Additionally, red FGCU T-shirts remain on sale for $10 in the lobby with all proceeds going to the American Heart Association. On Feb. 6, a redout will occur for the doubleheader against North Florida, with fans encouraged to wear those red T-shirts.
 
Finally, fans are reminded that the Chris and Brianne Sale Laces of Love drive will take place on Saturday for the game at 7 p.m. On that day, fans are encouraged to donate new shoes – in particular sneakers – or to contribute financially, with all proceeds and shoes collected going directly to low income and disadvantaged children in Lee and Collier counties. Those who plan to donate shoes are asked to do so only with new shoes, with boys and girls sizes 1-8 being the most commonly needed.
 
TWEETABLES
1) FGCU has held three-straight opponents below 60 points. The program record is five in a row, set from Nov. 24-Dec. 3 last season.
2) The Eagles shot 71.4 percent (20-28) from the floor in the first half against Stetson on Saturday, the best in any half in program history versus a D-I foe.
3) FGCU has shot better than 55 percent from the field in consecutive games (61.2 / 59.3) for the first time since 2011-12.
4) Reggie Reid is the top-ranked freshman in the nation in assist rate at 35.1 percent – the percentage of field goals made that a player assists on while in the game.
5) At 77.5 points per game, FGCU is on pace to shatter the previous single-season D-I program record of 72.9 in 2012-13.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first meeting between FGCU and NJIT. The Highlanders began competing at the D-I level across all sports in 2006-07 and became postseason eligible in 2009-10. Also that year, NJIT joined the now-defunct Great West Conference (GWC) until the end of the 2012-13 season. The past two years, NJIT has been competing as an independent with no league, until Northern Kentucky left the A-Sun earlier than expected this past summer and NJIT became the 8th member of the league.
 
SCOUTING NJIT
^ NJIT went 21-12 last year and advanced to the semifinals of the CIT. The Highlanders biggest win last season came at then-No. 17 Michigan.
^ The Highlanders return four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team as Damon Lynn and Winfield Willis were both tabbed as A-Sun preseason all-league selections.
^ Lynn leads the team and ranks 3rd in the league with 17.8 points per game. Tim Coleman averages 14.4 points per outing for the Highlanders, while Ky Howard – NJIT's all-time D-I assist leader with 338 – adds 13.5 points per contest. Willis, meanwhile, sustained an injury in early December and hasn't played since, but was averaging 10.3 points per game over the first nine games of the year.
^ NJIT ranks 2nd in the nation in free-throw percentage at 77.7, behind only Pittsburgh (79.3).
^ Head coach Jim Engles is in his 8th season at the helm of the Highlanders, and on Jan. 2 he claimed his 100th career win with an 86-83 triumph over UMBC. Engles is 100-132 in his career.
 
REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE
Like it will in probably every A-Sun game this year, FGCU enters the contest with a decided rebound advantage – at least on paper. The Eagles pull down an average of 41.9 rebounds per game – almost five more than any other A-Sun team – as FGCU has the 6th-most total rebounds in the nation with 713. NJIT, meanwhile, averages just 34.4 rebounds per game and has a rebound margin of -2.9 compared with +4.1 for FGCU. All 10 of FGCU's wins this year have come when the Eagles have out-rebounded their opponent.
 
A-SUN RANKS
In addition to rebounding, FGCU leads the A-Sun in four other key categories: points allowed (69.3), field-goal percentage defense (39.7), 3-point percentage defense (25.6) and steals (7.7).
 
AMONG THE BEST
That 3-point percentage defense has become a staple of third-year head coach Joe Dooley as FGCU is ranked 2nd in the nation, behind just Akron (24.2). The Eagles finished 5th in the country in that category last year (24.6 percent). The perimeter defense will be tested on Thursday as NJIT ranks 33rd in the nation with 149 made 3-pointers.
 
A-SUN SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2012-13 season, FGCU boasts a 39-12 (.765) record in A-Sun games – seven more wins than any other team in the league (North Florida, 32).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
FGCU has the following records in 2+ years under the direction of Dooley:
 
Leading At The Half: 42-3 (.933)
Grabbing More Rebounds: 45-5 (.900)
Scoring At Least 80 Points: 18-2 (.900)
Holding Opponent Below 40% FG: 34-4 (.895)
Scoring At Least 70 Points: 34-5 (.872)
 
PLAYER QUICK HITS
^ Redshirt freshman Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) has reached double-figure points in four-straight games as he enters the contest as FGCU's third-leading scorer at 8.9 per game.
^ After hitting just 11 3-pointers in the 11 games before FGCU's current four-game winning streak, redshirt senior Filip Cvjeticanin (Zagreb, Croatia/American School of Madrid) has knocked down 11 triples in the last four contests. Cvjeticanin is 5th on the program's all-time 3-pointers made list with 170, and 3rd among all D-I players. The D-I record is held by 2015 graduate Bernard Thompson with 219. Cvjeticanin is five 3-pointers shy of moving into 4th place all-time (Bryan Crislip, 2002-05) and nine 3s shy of overtaking 2nd place on the D-I list (Christophe Varidel, 2010-13). Ryan Hopkins (2002-05) holds the all-time record with 355.
^ Redshirt junior Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) blocked a season-high five shots against Stetson. Last year at Stetson, he rejected seven shots, a program record against a D-I opponent. Morant has 66 career blocks, just 14 shy of moving into 2nd place on the program's all-time list. Chase Fieler (2010-14) owns the all-time record with 134 rejections.
 
ON RECORD PACE
FGCU is on pace for several D-I and all-time program records this year:
 
Points Per Game: 77.5 – Would break the D-I record of 72.9 set by the Sweet Sixteen Dunk City team in 2012-13. FGCU has already scored 80 or more points eight times this year after doing so just five times all of last season.
Rebounds Per Game: 41.9 – Would set the D-I record, besting each of the previous two years (38.1 in 2014-15 and 36.6 in 2013-14).
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.4 – Would be the 2nd-best all-time, just behind the record of 46.7 percent in 2013-14.
Blocks Per Game: 4.6 – Would shatter the best mark all-time as no team has ever even averaged 4 blocks per game in a season.
Scoring Margin: +8.2 – Would be the best in D-I history, besting the previous mark of +6.1 in 2012-13.
 
BREAKOUT SEASONS
Redshirt junior Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) is one double-double shy of matching the D-I program single-season record of seven held by Chase Fieler in 2013-14. Norelia is 2nd in the A-Sun in rebounding at 8.6 per outing, 5th in field-goal percentage (54.7) and 7th in scoring with 15.9 points per game. Norelia would already have the D-I program single-season record for double-doubles had he secured just one more rebound each against Ohio, La Salle and Webber International. The all-time single-season program record for double-doubles is nine, held by Robinson Tisme in the program's first season in 2002-03. Norelia has been named A-Sun Player of the Week and A-Sun Co-Player of the Week this year.
 
After averaging just 3.3 points per game last year, sophomore Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) has catapulted to 13.6 per game this year – an increase of 10.3 – and has led the Eagles in scoring six times. Not only is 6-5 Terrell getting the job done on the offensive end, he also enters Thursday's contest with the third-most rebounds on the team this year with 79.
 
YOUNG, TALENTED AND DEEP
FGCU has just two seniors on its roster, and so far this year 83 percent of its scoring, 87 percent of its rebounding (excluding team rebounds) and 86 percent of its assists have come from non-seniors.
 
Not only are the Eagles young and talented, but they are deep as already this year 10 different players have reached double-figure points in a game. The only teams in the nation with more are Boston University (12) and Georgia Southern (11). Below is a list of players who have already scored 10 or more points in a game, their season high and how many times they've led the team in scoring.
 
R-Jr. Norelia (7): 34
R-Fr. Johnson (2): 26
So. Terrell (6): 25
R-Sr. Julian DeBose (1): 20
R-Sr. Cvjeticanin (1): 18
Fr. Reid: 18
R-So. Atravious Simmons: 17
Fr. Rayjon Tucker: 15
R-So. Kevin Mickle: 14
R-Jr. Morant: 11
 
In a further testament to the youthful and talented group, Reid leads all A-Sun freshmen in assists per game (4), Terrell leads all A-Sun sophomores in points per game (13.6), Simmons leads all A-Sun sophomores in rebounds per game (5) and Norelia is second among all A-Sun juniors in rebounds per game (8.6).
 
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
FGCU currently has a non-conference strength of schedule of 77, higher than a plethora of Power 5 programs, including five of the top 10 teams in the nation (No. = rank in national polls): No. 2 Oklahoma (103), No. 3 Maryland (134), No. 4 Michigan State (86), No. 8 Miami (108) and No. 10 West Virginia (235).
 
All but one of FGCU's seven losses have come against top-150 RPI teams, including two losses to top-30 teams (#10 Texas A&M, 75-65; #29 Florida, 70-50, and four to top-100 opponents (#61 South Dakota State, 56-52; #98 Louisiana Tech, 66-63) – and three of those four losses came by 10 points or less. FGCU has also dropped an 85-75 decision at #125 Ohio and an 89-81 overtime decision in Sioux Falls against #149 South Dakota.
 
HOME SUCCESS
FGCU is 52-10 at Alico Arena since 2012-13. Seven of those 10 losses have come since the start of the 2014-15 season. FGCU is 9-3 at home this year, was 13-4 last year, went 15-2 in 2013-14 and 15-1 in 2012-13.
 
Versus A-Sun foes during the regular season since 2012-13, FGCU is 24-2 at The Nest. The Eagles had won 21 straight regular-season games at Alico Arena against A-Sun competition before losing to North Florida in the home regular-season finale last year (other loss: Lipscomb in overtime during the 2012-13 season).
 
GOLDEN SUMMER
DeBose (Washington, D.C./Rice/St. John College HS) won a gold medal as part of Team USA at the World University Games (WUG) this summer in South Korea ... was one of only two players (SMU's Nic Moore) on the team not from Kansas University ... finished the tournament averaging 4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 10.8 minutes per contest ... scored a team-high 18 points in the USA's final group-round game against Switzerland ... connected on 50 percent (13-26) of his shots from the floor during the WUG, including 3-8 from 3-point range ... added nine offensive and nine defensive rebounds, with the nine offensive boards representing the second-most by any guard on the roster  ... also contributed six steals and a block as Team USA won its games by an average of 20.3 points.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will conclude its homestand on Saturday in the second game of a women's and men's doubleheader against USC Upstate at 7 p.m. The Spartans started the season 3-11, but have won four in a row, including the aforementioned league-opening victory at the buzzer over NJIT.
 
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 111-83 (.572), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 54-31 (.635).
 
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.