MACON, Ga. – A hot start for Mercer and a slow shooting night for the FGCU men's basketball team proved the deciding factors on Friday night as the Bears earned an 84-68 win over the visiting Eagles at Hawkins Arena.
 
Mercer (3-1) used a 17-to-2 run to open the game as FGCU (0-4) was never really able to get into an offensive rhythm for much of the night.

"I think the story of our year so far is being able to string good halves together unfortunately. I thought tonight, Mercer was tougher and out-competed us," said head coach Michael Fly. "We're going to get back to work and will make some changes to make sure we correct the issues that we are seeing. I'm not discouraged with our team; I'm disappointed because I do not think that Mercer is that much better than we are as the scoreboard indicated. But they were tonight and we've got a lot of work to do in preparation of FAU. I know Caleb said this earlier, but we will not let four games define our season. I've been through losing streaks in the past, they are part of sports, but we're going to get things corrected and figured out."
 
Sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) led the Eagles with 18 points with 13 coming in the second half. Junior Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and freshman Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla.) each posted season-high scoring nights with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Gagliardi hit four three-pointers in the game and had a team-high tying six rebounds, while Rivers added four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
 
The Bears were led by four players in double figures led by Djordje Dimitrijevic and James Glisson III who had 19 and 18 points each. Daniel Love added 16 points, while Ethan Stair rounded out the top scorers with 15 points.
 
After sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) scored the opening points of the night, Mercer put together a 17-to-0 run in the first half setting the tone as the Eagles struggled shooting early. The Bears built out a 17-2 lead at the 14:48 mark with FGCU going 0-for-9 from the floor. Senior Tracy Hector, Jr. (Riverdale, Ga.), broke up the drought with a jumper from the far corner with 13:09 to go for the first field goal of the game.
 
The Eagles began to get the offense going late in the opening stanza closing with an 8-to-3 run thanks to a three-pointer from Scott, the first career bucket for freshman Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla.), and a three-point play by Jalen Harper.
 
The second half saw the Eagles start to claw back in the game with a 14-to-4 run closing the deficit to 14, 69-55, at the 6:25 mark. FGCU hit 10-of-16 field goals as part of that stretch after struggling from the floor for much of the night. Gagliardi hit a pair of three-pointers in that run along with another from freshman Qwanzi Samuels (District Heights, Md.).
 
Overall, FGCU shot 22-of-57 and were 7-of-21 from deep with six of the triples coming in the second half. Mercer shot 32-of-60 (53.5 percent) from the floor which marked the best shooting percentage for an opponent this year.
 
FGCU will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 20 when the Eagles host FAU at Alico Arena. Tip off is slated for 7 PM and it will be streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets are still available at the Alico Arena Box Office, by calling 239-590-7145, or by visiting www.FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets.
 
For complete coverage of FGCU men's basketball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MBB 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.
 
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 his time with the Eagles, he helped FGCU to a 155-91 record (.630 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 in 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).
 
#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.
 
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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--