NASHVILLE – In a matchup of the ASUN's preseason top-2 favorites in Music City, the road-tested FGCU men's basketball team successfully weathered a different type of storm Thursday night as the Eagles (13-8, 4-0 ASUN) overcame an 18-point 2nd-half deficit to post an impressive 88-83 win over Lipscomb (11-8, 1-3 ASUN) to extend their season-long winning streak to six.
 
Trailing 66-48 with less than 13 minutes remaining, FGCU head coach Joe Dooley switched to a 2-3 zone and immediately stymied the powerful Bisons' attack. Lipscomb converted a layup at the 12-minute mark against the defense, but after that it went on a nine-minute field goal drought as FGCU put together an incredible 33-4 run to create an 81-70 lead and put the game out of reach.
 
After scoring just two points in the 1st half, unanimous Preseason Player of the Year Brandon Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) exploded for 20 in the closing 20 minutes to finish with a game-high 22 to go along with a game-best nine assists and six rebounds.
 
He paced a quintet of FGCU double-figure scorers as Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) tallied 14, Dinero Mercurius netted 12, Antravious Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) added 11 to go along with a team-best seven rebounds and Michael Gilmore (Jacksonville, Fla./Miami/VCU/Rickards HS) contributed 10 off a career-best three 3-pointers.
 
FGCU shot 54.7 percent (29-53) from the floor, but most importantly after turning the ball over 14 times in the 1st half gave it away just three times in the final stanza to move alone atop the ASUN standings. Coupled with Jacksonville's 91-85 loss at USC Upstate, FGCU move into sole possession of 1st place in the league, one game clear of the Dolphins (3-1) and already two ahead of three other teams.
 
"This was a good character win for us," stated Dooley. "We got ourselves into a jam and chipped away. Our offensive efficiency got better, and that started because we got defensive stops. We also did a much better job of limiting our turnovers and preventing them from getting easy second-chance points in the 2nd half."
 
FGCU – which had only 10 available scholarship players as RaySean Scott Jr. (Compton, Calif./Compton HS) and Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Shiloh HS/Believe Prep/Indian Land HS) did not play due to concussion symptoms – was also strapped with some hard luck on its travel to Tennessee.
 
The Eagles didn't arrive in Nashville until early afternoon on Thursday due to flight issues on Wednesday. FGCU had its flight from Fort Myers to Atlanta on Wednesday delayed by more than four hours, and then had its connection to Nashville canceled. The Eagles did not have a shootaround Thursday, and several players were still missing their luggage.
 
Despite all that, FGCU picked up a top-100 RPI win and in the process extended its road league winning streak to eight in a row dating back to last season.
 
The Eagles – who had three starters play limited minutes due to foul trouble in the opening half – overcame that behind a blistering 67-percent 1st-half shooting performance from the floor (16-24) and created an eight-point lead, 27-19, midway through the frame.
 
However, the Bisons chipped away, and – coupled with the aforementioned 14 1st-half FGCU turnovers which led to 16 points – flipped that eight-point deficit and turned it into an eight-point intermission advantage, 48-40, after a late 11-0 run.
 
Lipscomb came out of the locker room on a blistering pace and appeared poised to run away with the contest, but the Eagles showed their moxie and why the coaches and media installed them as the preseason favorites.
 
However, the Bisons fought back and made it a one-possession game, 86-83, with 10 seconds remaining. Lipscomb fouled Mercurius (Orlando, Fla./Daytona State/UTRGV/USF/Faith Baptist Christian HS), but the 90-percent free-throw shooter calmly drilled both to ice the contest.
 
Garrison Mathews came into the game leading the ASUN in scoring at 23.3 per game, and was well on that average after tallying a dozen in the 1st half. However, the Green and Blue locked down on him in the 2nd half, limiting the junior to just three points. After shooting 55.6 percent (15-27) in the 1st half, Lipscomb connected at only a 38.2-percent rate (13-34) in the 2nd half.
 
FGCU will look to create even more separation atop the conference standings when it travels back outside Atlanta to face Kennesaw State (5-14, 1-3 ASUN) on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 4:30 p.m. The Owls picked up their first league win of the season on Thursday with a 95-81 victory over Stetson.
 
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 161-106 (.603), and in his 4+ years with FGCU is 104-54 (.658). 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.