DUNK CITY, Fla. – Using a methodical offensive attack and another brilliant effort on the defensive end, the FGCU men's basketball team (12-8, 3-0 ASUN) ran its winning streak to five in a row and remained in a tie atop the league standings as the Eagles defeated NJIT (8-10, 1-2 ASUN) Saturday night at Alico Arena, 68-54.
 
Brandon Goodwin flirted with the program's first-ever triple-double as the redshirt senior delivered game highs of 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The double-double performance was the fourth of his season and eighth of his career. Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) tallied 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and passed out four assists as the lethal backcourt duo paced the Eagles to their third 3-0 conference start in as many years.
 
FGCU – which began ASUN play by holding two-straight opponents below 60 points for first time in program history – extended that stretch to three in a row with another standout defensive effort as the Eagles limited NJIT to just 37 percent (20-54) from the floor en route to remaining tied atop the league standings with Jacksonville.
 
"For the most part our defense carried us," stated FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "We did a great job – especially in the 2nd half – of not giving up easy baskets. We still need to clean up our turnovers, though. We gave up 18 points off turnovers tonight, and if we eliminate that our defensive stats are even better."
 
After a slow start offensively for both teams, NJIT held a 17-15 lead with eight minutes remaining in the opening stanza. However, the Eagles put together a 9-0 run, which was part of a larger 14-2 stretch in just under three minutes, to take their first double-figure point lead of the night at 29-19.
 
FGCU entered the halftime break with a 36-28 advantage. After starting the game 3-13 from the field – exactly what they were in Thursday's 75-58 win over USC Upstate – the Green and Blue finished by making 10 of their last 17 (59 percent).
 
Fueling that attack was Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) as the unanimous ASUN Preseason Player of the Year posted 16 points, five assists, three rebounds and two drawn charges in the opening 20 minutes. The redshirt guard scored or assisted on 28 of FGCU's 30 points in the 1st half which came from the field.
 
With the Eagles leading 39-33 early in the 2nd half, Antravious Simmons checked for the first time all conference season after missing the first two-and-a-half games with foot injury. The 6-9, 250-pound forward immediately gave FGCU the boost inside it was looking for as Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) scored on the first possession.
 
A few minutes later, FGCU went on a 7-0 spurt – capped by an and-1 dunk finish from Michael Gilmore – to forge ahead, 50-38, with a little over 11 minutes remaining. The margin crept to as much as 16 later in the half before the Eagles settled for the 14-point win and their first three league contests being decided by a dominant 69-point margin.
 
Zach Cooks came off the bench to lead NJIT with 12 points, while Shawndale Jones added 11 for the Highlanders, who have now lost 16-straight road games dating back to last season. Abdul Lewis – who missed the first two conference games with a hip injury – started on Saturday and finished with eight points and two rebounds in 24 minutes. The preseason all-league team member came into the night averaging 9.9 points per game and leading the ASUN with 8.6 rebounds per outing.
 
As part of their five-game winning streak (two victories over non-Division-I teams), the Eagles have held each of their opponents below 60 points and under 35-percent shooting from the field – with the exception of NJIT which got to 37-percent shooting. However, after shooting 47.8 percent (11-23) in the 1st half, the Highlanders were limited to just 29 percent (9-31) in the 2nd half.
 
Since 2012-13, FGCU is now 37-5 (.880) in the regular season against ASUN opponents at Alico Arena. Including ASUN Tournament games in that same stretch, the Eagles are 45-7 (.865) at home versus league foes. Overall, FGCU boasts an 85-17 record (.833) at The Nest since the 2012-13 season.
 
FGCU now heads on the road as the Eagles first flock to Nashville to battle Lipscomb (11-7, 1-2 ASUN) on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern before heading outside Atlanta to face Kennesaw State (4-14, 0-3 ASUN) on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 4:30 p.m.
 
NOTEWORTHY: FGCU now holds a 4-1 edge in the all-time series with NJIT … the Eagles used their 13th different starting lineup this year, tied for the most in the nation … Gilmore (Jacksonville, Fla./Miami/VCU/Rickards HS) scored seven points for the third-straight league game and also corralled eight rebounds … FGCU issued 19 assists and had 19 turnovers … the Eagles had a season-high 11 steals versus a D-I opponent.
 
SOCIAL CENTRAL
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COACH DOOLEY
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his 5th season with the Eagles in 2017-18 and has coached eight all-conference selections in that time. He has led FGCU to 20+ win seasons and postseason appearances in all four years: 2014 NIT; 2015 CIT; 2016 NCAA; 2017 NCAA. Dooley was named the 2017 ASUN Coach of the Year and the 2017 NABC District 3 Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to a D-I program record 26 wins. In 8+ seasons overall as a head coach, Dooley has a record of 160-106 (.602), and in his 4+ years with FGCU is 103-54 (.656). 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.
 
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.