RICHMOND, Va. - Sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) scored 14 points to lead the FGCU men's basketball team, but No. 19 VCU proved too much on the defensive side of the ball in a 78-48 win over the Eagles on Saturday night at the Siegel Center. The Rams forced 27 turnovers which kept the Eagles offense out of sync for much of the night.
 
"They played about as we thought they would. We were able to hold them at bay for a bit early in the first half, but once they jumped on that big run, we could never get back into it. I have tremendous respect for Coach Rhoades and his staff and how they run their program," said head coach Michael Fly. "I told our team this was a growing experience and that the same year we went to the Sweet 16, we had a loss like this to VCU. A of times that year we referenced VCU and said these teams aren't better than VCU, that they won't pressure the same as VCU or that their fans aren't as raucous as VCU. We want to play teams like VCU which will help us grow while also helping reinforce the type of program we're trying to build here."
 
Catto set a career-high with four three pointers in the game to lead the Eagles (1-5). Junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) had seven points and five assists, while sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) had a career-high eight rebounds.
 
The Rams (5-0) were led by 16 points from Marcus Evans and 11 points from De'Riante Jenkins. Marcus Santos-Silva nearly had a double-double nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Statistically, the story of the game came down to the Rams turning 27 FGCU turnovers into 37 points. Between that and 19 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second chance points, VCU attempted 26 more shots than the Eagles for the game.
 
Overall, FGCU shot 19-of-50 (38%), while the Rams were 28-of-76 (36.8%) from the floor.
 
The Rams used a 10-to-0 run in the first half to open up a 16-2 lead at the 12:37 mark, but a Catto three-pointer 15 seconds later halted the home team momentum. Catto added two more triples after that as the Eagles cut the deficit to nine, 23-14, with 7:35 left before intermission.
 
The Rams strung together the 20-2 run, including 17 straight, after the Eagles cut the deficit to single digits and stretched its lead to 43-16 at the break.
 
VCU's pressure defense sparked much of its offense in the opening stanza as the Rams converted 16 FGCU turnovers into 22 points.
 
After Catto hit his fourth three-pointer of the night two minutes into the second half, the Rams scored 11 straight extending their lead to 56-21 at the 15:01 mark.
 
The Eagles continued to fight late in the game putting together a 13-to-1 run which cut the deficit to 21, 66-45, with 5:07 to go, but the Rams closed out the game scoring 12 of the last 15 points to give the final margin.
 
FGCU returns home to Alico Arena for the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic next week. The Eagles will host Florida Tech on Tuesday night (7 PM) before then hosting North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
 
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 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 156-92 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 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.
 
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