DUNK CITY, Fla. – The top-seeded FGCU men's basketball team (24-7) looked every bit the part of it Monday in the ASUN Championship quarterfinals as the Eagles rolled through 8th-seeded Stetson (11-21) at Alico Arena, 87-57, and stormed in the semifinal round at home on Thursday.
 
Zach Johnson led a balanced quartet of FGCU double-figure scorers with 19, and Marc-Eddy Norelia recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds – the most caroms by an FGCU player in an ASUN Championship game.
 
The Eagles led for 37 minutes on the way to their 2nd-highest point total in an ASUN Championship game and 2nd-largest margin of victory. Both of those were set in last year's semifinals at top-seeded North Florida when the Eagles downed the Ospreys, 89-56.
 
FGCU advances to host 5th-seeded Kennesaw State (14-17) which went on the road and defeated 4th-seeded USC Upstate (17-15), 80-78. Upstate was one of just two ASUN teams (2nd-seeded Lipscomb) to have defeated FGCU this year. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from The Nest. General-admission tickets are on sale now for just $12 by visiting FGCUTickets.com, calling 239-590-7145 or visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office.
 
In the other semifinal on Thursday, 2nd-seeded Lipscomb (20-12) will host 3rd-seeded North Florida (14-18). Lipscomb defeated 7th-seeded NJIT, 97-66, while UNF took down cross-city rival and 6th-seeded Jacksonville, 77-74. A couple weeks ago, UNF went into Lipscomb and handed the Ospreys just one of their three ASUN losses.
 
The Eagles will be playing in the ASUN semifinals for the sixth-straight year since becoming Division-I postseason eligible in 2011-12. FGCU climbed to 6-0 in the quarterfinal round thanks to a dominant performance on Monday as the Eagles – ranked 5th in the nation in field-goal percentage – connected at a 50-percent clip (33-66), finished with a 51-24 rebounding edge and a 38-16 advantage in the paint.
 
ASUN Newcomer of the Year Brandon Goodwin tallied 13 points, passed out eight assists against just one turnover and corralled five rebounds. Christian Terrell rounded out the quartet of double-figure scorers for the Green and Blue with 12 points and four rebounds.
 
Holding a 33-28 lead with 5 minutes remaining in the opening half, FGCU went on a game-changing 12-0 run to open up a 45-28 edge. It was a vintage Dunk City run, as well, as the Eagles flew all over the floor during the 3-minute spurt which ultimately put the game out of reach.
 
It started with an effort tip-in by Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) and then three-consecutive dunks from Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS), Norelia and Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy) got Alico rocking. Four more points from Norelia – all resulting from terrific passing – forced a Stetson timeout, and the Hatters got no closer than 12 the rest of the night.
 
"We had great energy from the start of the game, and the ball moved a lot better than it did the other night," FGCU head coach Joe Dooley said in reference to the Eagles' 80-70 regular-season-ending win over Stetson on Thursday. "Our defense, after the first few minutes, was much better. We defended the 3-point line and didn't give up as many easy baskets."
 
The Eagles limited the Hatters to just 33.3-percent shooting (18-54) and once again dominated in the low blocks. The 51 rebounds are a season high, and FGCU converted the 27-rebound margin into a 16-7 edge in 2nd-chance points. In their three meetings this year – all won by FGCU – the Eagles outrebounded the Hatters, 134-86, and finished with a 63-24 edge in 2nd-chance points.
 
As he's done most of the year, Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) saved his best for the 2nd half as the redshirt sophomore tallied 16 of his game-high total after halftime. Norelia secured a season-high rebound total and finished three shy of matching his career high.
 
Perhaps the biggest difference in the game came right at the start as Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) his three of his first four 3-pointers to set the tone. Against Stetson on Thursday, the junior – who already ranks in the top 10 in program history for career 3s – went 0-10 from beyond the arc, but ensured quickly there wouldn't be a repeat performance.
 
Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) played just 28 minutes, but after falling hard with about 5 minutes remaining did not return. The Eagles' leading scorer and assist man bruised his hip, but is expected to play on Thursday.
 
Derick Newton led Stetson with 17 points, while Divine Myles added 14 and Luke Doyle tallied 12 as the Hatters lost to the Eagles for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings. FGCU is now 4-0 all-time against Stetson in ASUN Championship games – the best mark by any league member over another.
 
The victory was the 12th all-time in the ASUN Championship for the Eagles – the most by a current active member of the league, including Jacksonville (five wins in 18 tournaments) and Stetson (11 wins in 24 tournaments).
 
FGCU has only been eligible for the ASUN Championship since 2011-12 following a four-year required transition period to D-I, and in the first three years the Eagles reached the title game each year – the only program in the history of D-I men's basketball to accomplish that feat. The Eagles have been postseason eligible for five years (now six), made the ASUN Championship Final four times and won the title twice (2013, 2016).

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COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his 4th season with the Eagles in 2016-17 and has coached eight all-conference selections over his first three campaigns. Dooley guided FGCU to a 4th-straight 20-win season and 4th-consecutive postseason appearance in 2015-16 as the Eagles claimed the ASUN Tournament Championship and won their First Four NCAA Tournament game in 31-point record-setting fashion. He led FGCU to its first ASUN Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to 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 8th season overall as a head coach and has a record of 146-97 (.601), and in his 3+ years with FGCU is 88-45 (.662).
 
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.