DeLAND, Fla. – Despite another huge double-double performance from Marc-Eddy Norelia, the FGCU men's basketball team (17-13, 8-6 A-Sun) let a big first-half lead get away and fell at Stetson (10-21, 4-10 A-Sun) Thursday night, 80-73.
 
With the loss, the Eagles finish in a three-way tie for 2nd place in the wide-open Atlantic Sun Conference with NJIT and Jacksonville, but earn the 4 seed in next week's tournament. North Florida won the regular-season title and 1 seed with a 10-4 record, while NJIT is the 2 seed and JU the 3 seed.
 
2016 A-Sun Championship Bracket
 
FGCU will host 5 seed Kennesaw State (7-7) on Tuesday, Mar. 1, at 7:05 p.m. in the quarterfinals. General-admission tickets are on sale for $15 starting at 9 a.m. Friday at FGCUTickets.com, in person at the Alico Arena Ticket Office or over the phone by calling 239-590-7145.
 
Following the close of business on Friday at 5 p.m., reserved seats for the game will go on sale at FGCUTickets.com, with prices ranging from $15-25. All reserved and general-admission tickets will be on sale at FGCUTickets.com over the weekend, with normal business hours resuming at 9 a.m. Monday.
 
Season ticket holders who have already reserved tickets may pick up theirs at Alico Arena from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday. Fans looking to purchase tickets may do so in person during that time at the Alico Arena Ticket Office. FGCU students are admitted free of charge with a valid Eagle ID, while students from other A-Sun institutions are $5.
 
On Thursday night against the Hatters, Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) recorded his 12th double-double of the season with game-bests of 29 points and 12 rebounds – his sixth 20-point game in the last eight contests and three more double-doubles in single-season program history than anyone else. Norelia surpassed 2014 graduate Chase Fieler for 2nd place on the program's single-season rebound list with 270, five shy of setting the record currently held by Adam Liddell in 2006-07.
 
Norelia helped stake FGCU to a fast start as the Eagles opened up an 18-point lead, 24-6, not even nine minutes into the game. However, Stetson – which won at UNF this year – chipped away and the Eagles took just a 38-35 lead into the halftime break.
 
With the game tied, 38-38, the Green and Blue responded with an 8-0 run – the first six from Norelia – to create a 46-38 edge. However, the Hatters – who rank 2nd in the league in scoring at 79.8 per game – had an answer of their own, and on a Luke Doyle 3-pointer at the 13:19 mark took their first lead of the night, 52-51.
 
FGCU freshman Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) put the Eagles back up on the ensuing possession, 53-52, but Stetson used a 12-1 run over the next five minutes to open up its largest lead of the night, 64-54, with just under 8 minutes remaining.
 
Trailing by nine, 71-62, with less than 3 minutes showing, FGCU tried to make one last run and rattled off six-straight points to make it 71-68 with 1:30 left. However, on the next possession a loose ball under the Stetson hoop was thrown back inbounds by a Hatter, and Derick Newton hit a 3-pointer late in the shot clock which for all intents and purposes put an end to the Eagles' comeback.

"We don't have any choice but to pick ourselves up and get going," surmised FGCU head coach Joe Dooley after the Hatters snapped the Eagles' seven-game winning streak in the series. "It's now conference tournament time and the next game could be our last of the year, so you have to go all out. We'll get some rest, hopefully get our minds right and be ready to go on Tuesday."

Redshirt freshman Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) added 11 points for FGCU, while redshirt sophomore Antravious Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) was the Eagles' lone other double-figure scorer with 10 points off the bench.
 
Stetson was led by Brian Pegg with 19 points as he paced a quartet of Hatter double-figure scorers. Doyle came off the bench to knock down 6-8 3-point shots and finish with 18 points, Newton added 17 and Miles Divine contributed 11.
 
FGCU limited the Hatters to just 4-11 (36.4 percent) from 3-point range in the first half, but Stetson connected at a gaudy 7-9 clip (77.8 percent) from beyond the arc in the second half against the Eagles' 6th-ranked national perimeter defense.
 
The Eagles out-rebounded the Hatters, 39-27, and consequently held a 17-6 edge in second-chance points, but Stetson finished the night 51.8 percent (29-56) from the floor and 11-20 (55 percent) from 3-point range – the most 3s FGCU has allowed since 13 at North Florida on Jan. 30.

A-SUN CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS
#1 North Florida vs. #8 USC Upstate (Tuesday, 7:30 PM)
#2 NJIT vs. #7 Stetson (Tuesday, 7:30 PM)
#3 Jacksonville vs. #6 Lipscomb (Tuesday, 7:00 PM)
#4 FGCU vs. #5 Kennesaw State (Tuesday, 7:05 PM)
 
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 118-89 (.570), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 61-37 (.622).
 
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.