FORT MYERS, Fla. – After the Eagles controlled the majority of the first half, it was a 24-9 run in the second half which sparked a 78-63 win for visiting North Dakota over the FGCU men's basketball team on Friday night in the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic at Alico Arena.
 
The Eagles (2-6) return to action on Saturday night to host Campbell at 7 PM. North Dakota (3-4) will take on Georgia Southern in the day's opening game at 4:30 PM.
 
"Credit North Dakota for how they played tonight, particularly on the glass where they had a 41-25 advantage," said head coach Michael Fly. "Controlling the glass is normally a staple of our program so to be out-rebounded like that is extremely frustrating. We felt like if we could rebound, that would allow us to run in transition which we did the entire first half and that produced a 15 point lead. Once they were able to control the rebounds and get second chance points, that allowed them to settle into their defense which baits you into taking bad shots. Tonight's not indicative of who we are or how we play, but give them credit for playing much better than we did."
 
Sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) led the Eagles with 17 points and four rebounds, while junior Justus Rainwater (Enunclaw, Wash.) had a career-high 12 points with three rebounds. Both sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) and junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) finished the night with 10 points.
 
North Dakota was led by 18 points from both Kienan Walter and De'Sean Allen-Eikens, while Filip Rebraca posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
 
FGCU led by as many as 15 in the first half thanks to a 14-to-2 run that included 11 straight points for the Eagles. A pair of three-pointers from Scott combined with a three-point play from Rainwater pushed FGCU ahead 30-15 with 5:02 remaining.
 
The Fighting Hawks chipped into the lead during the remainder of the half cutting the deficit to three at the intermission, 34-31. North Dakota closed the first half on an 8-to-2 run punctuated by a three-point play by Rebraca with 26 seconds to go.
 
That momentum carried over into the second half with UND starting on an 8-to-2 run to go up 39-36 at the 15:10 mark.
 
The Fighting Hawks stretched that lead to 62-48 with 7:59 remaining after a 14-2 run keyed by a 6-of-8 shooting stretch. The Eagles were 1-of-8 from the floor in that stretch which allowed the Fighting Hawks lead to reach double figures.
 
After the UND lead hit its largest point of the game, 67-48, with 5:01 to go, FGCU was able to pull back within 10 after a three-point play by Warren just over three minutes later.
 
Overall, North Dakota shot 28-of-57 (49%) from the floor, while FGCU converted 21-of-53 (40%) attempts. The Fighting Hawks went 7-of-19 from beyond the arc compared to 6-of-19 for the Eagles. Both teams were efficient at the free throw line with UND converting 15-of-17 and FGCU hitting 15-of-19.
 
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 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. 
 
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 157-93 record (.629 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--