FORT MYERS, Fla. – Coming off a disappointing home-opening loss to UMBC on Saturday afternoon, the FGCU men's basketball team returns to action on Monday night at Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. The game will kick off a two-game road stretch with the Eagles also heading to Mercer later this week.
Monday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will be televised regionally on NESNPlus which is also available nationally on DirecTV. This will mark the first-ever meeting between Dartmouth and FGCU on the hardwood.
Saturday's loss to UMBC saw the Retrievers mount a comeback rally in the final five minutes of regulation. FGCU led by 10 points with 5:01 to go before UMBC was able to tighten up on defense which led to a 16-to-2 run. Sophomore
Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) led the Eagles with 15 points, while junior
Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) pitched in a season-high 14 in the loss. L.J. Owens and former Eagle Darnell Rogers each scored 21 points for the Retrievers.
FGCU sophomores
Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) and Catto have shown marked improvement and growth from their rookie campaigns. Scott was the top returning scorer entering the season and has doubled his scoring average from a year ago - improving from 8.4 points per game to 17.0 per night. Catto has averaged 15.5 points on 48 percent shooting to improve his scoring average from 4.1 points per game last year. He's also playing significantly more minutes as a starter going from 17.9 minutes to 32.5 per outing.
Warren's season-high performance on Saturday moved him into third in scoring at 9.0 points per game.Â
Dartmouth opened its season in dramatic fashion by snapping Buffalo's 26-game home win streak that was second in the nation behind Tennessee. The Big Green earned their first season-opening road victory for the first time in 32 years with a 68-63 win in Buffalo, N.Y.
Chris Knight led the way with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Taurus Samuels notched 16 points including a six consecutive in the final 72 seconds preventing a Buffalo comeback. Aaryn Rai rounded out the top scoers with 12 points, while Ian Sistare added 13 rebounds.
Following Monday's trip to New England, the Eagles will then head to Mercer on Friday, Nov. 15 (7:30 PM).
Tickets are on sale now, but limited, and can be purchased by visiting the Alico Arena Box Office, going online to www.FGCUAthletics.com or calling 239-590-7145.
For complete coverage of the FGCU men's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram @FGCU_MBB, on Facebook at @FGCUMBB, and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com.
BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
FGCU basketball tickets for the 2019-20 season are on sale now including season tickets, single game tickets and the popular mini-plan options. For more information, contact an FGCU Ticket Office representative by calling 239-590-7145, visiting Alico Arena Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or by visiting www.FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. Seating locations for new ticket packages will depend on availability. Eagles Club membership may be required for certain seats, with giving levels utilized for access to better locations.
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COACH FLY
Michael Fly was introduced as the fourth FGCU men's basketball head coach on April 5, 2018. He had spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach on the Eagles' staff. In that time, he helped FGCU to a 155-89 record (.635 winning percentage), including six ASUN Tournament Final appearances, three NCAA Tournament victories, three ASUN Tournament titles and three ASUN Regular Season Championships, two berths in the NIT, a CIT appearance and a run to the Sweet 16. He has coached 13 all-conference selections while with the Green and Blue, including two ASUN Player of the Year honors in Sherwood Brown and Brandon Goodwin, two ASUN Defensive Player of the Year selections in Bernard Thompson and Demetris Morant and one ASUN Newcomer of the Year inÂ
Schadrac Casimir. Of the top-10 players in career points at FGCU, Fly has helped develop eight of them, including all-time leading scorer Thompson (1,835). Additionally, the Kentucky alumnus has coached both the ASUN all-time assists leader Brett Comer (845; 24th in NCAA history) and FGCU all-time leading rebounder Chase Fieler (714).
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#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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.
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 79 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as two of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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