FORT MYERS, Fla. – A buzzer-beater by junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) handed the FGCU men's basketball team its first win of the season as the Eagles downed cross-state rival FAU in overtime by a score of 72-70 Wednesday night at Alico Arena. The shot capped off a career night for Warren who finished with a career-high 21 points and matched his season best with five assists.

"I told the guys that in my time here, this was probably as good of a win in terms of pride in our program since I've been with FGCU. I can't recall coming back from that many - I think we were down 19 in the second half," said head coach Michael Fly. "We've had some good comebacks and it reminded me of the Lipscomb tournament game a few years ago where we kept coming back but didn't have enough to get over the hump. I kept telling them – make sure you know you are going win this game. Overall, I'm just really proud of our guys and their effort."

The game saw limited action in the opening minutes of play, as it took the teams almost a full two minutes to get on the board. The Owls (2-3) were the first to do so, as Richardson Maitre nailed a jumper to put the visitors up 2-0. Junior Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbaor, Wash.) responded for the Eagles (1-4), pouring in a baseline trey.

From there, it was quiet on the Green and Blue front as FAU used a 20-2 run to pull away from the home team. The Owls kept the momentum in their favor taking a 29-16 lead into the break.

The second half was an entirely different story, as there were seven lead changes and six ties. While FGCU and FAU were evenly matched coming out of the break, junior Justus Rainwater (Enunclaw, Wash.) punctuated a turnover forced by Warren with a dunk, pulling the Eagles within nine.

With just under six minutes to go, momentum began to shift in favor of the home team. Freshman Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla.) got things started with an old fashioned three-point play that cut the Owls' lead down to seven. Warren tipped the following inbound pass to freshman Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.), who drilled a three-pointer that pulled the FGCU within five.

In the final minutes of regulation, the Eagles outscored the Owls 9-5 and forced the game into overtime with Warren scoring the game-tying layup with 27 seconds to go, marking the first time the team played past regulation since an overtime victory at USC Upstate on Feb. 18, 2017. FGCU outscored FAU 41-28 in the second half thanks to a 53 percent shooting effort.

The teams went back-and-forth to start of the overtime period, but sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) handed the team its largest lead of the game – three points – with a layup that put the Eagles up 60-63 with three minutes left.

Scott and Gagliardi each contributed crucial points for FGCU during the final plays of the night, but it was ultimately Warren whose floater proved to be the deciding factor as the team claimed its victory.

In addition to Warren's career night, multiple Eagles tallied personal bests. Rivers tallied a career-high 13 points, while Rainwater corralled 10 rebounds. Scott finished the night with 11 points, while Catto had 10 in the win.

FAU was led by Michael Forrest who had 16 points. 

FGCU will remain at Alico Arena to host the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The Thanksgiving tournament is set to run from Nov. 26 – Dec. 1 and will feature Florida Tech, North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern. The Eagles' first game of the tournament will be on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. as the team is set to take on Florida Tech.



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 156-91 record (.631 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 80 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--