FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a tough season-opening loss at Saint Louis on Tuesday night, the FGCU men's basketball team returns to Fort Myers to officially open the home schedule at Alico Arena against UMBC. The match-up features a pair of former NCAA Cinderella programs and is the second straight year to see the two squads face off on the hardwood.
In Tuesday's loss, the Billikens used a 19-0 run in the first half to open up a big lead at the intermission. Sophomore
Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as FGCU hung tough with the defending Atlantic 10 champions, 49-49. Joining Scott in double figures was sophomore
Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) who notched 16 points on an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor.
Scott's 23 points were just two shy of his career-best single-game total as the sophomore hit 8-of-17 from the floor including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. He was particularly effective in the second half going 5-of-7 from deep and 7-of-11 overall from the floor.
In his FGCU debut, freshman
Jalen Harper (Mableton, Ga.) notched nine points going 3-of-4 from behind the three-point line.
Several Eagles made their collegiate debuts as freshman
Qwanzi Samuels (District Heights, Md.), freshman
Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla.) and Harper all saw action. In addition, junior
Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario, start, 4 pts, 5 ast), senior
Tracy Hector (Riverdale, Ga., 4 pts, 4 reb), junior
Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash., 5 pts, 6 reb), and junior
Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, Wash., 6 pts, 3 ast) all made their first appearances for FGCU.
UMBC is 1-0 on the year after a season-opening 134-46 victory against NCAA Division III foe Valley Forge on Tuesday night. Dimitrije Spasojevic and Nathan Johnson led the Retrievers with 20 points each in the win.Â
Spasojevic added eight rebounds, going 10-12 from the floor off the bench. Johnson at one point scored 10 straight points connecting on three triples with six rebounds. Nine different Retrievers scored in double figures as the Retrievers shot nearly 70 percent from the floor.Â
The two teams have only played once before, last year's 76-53 win for FGCU in Baltimore, but both have captured the nation's attention. The Eagles first did so after reaching the 2013 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, while the Retrievers became the first ever No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in their 2018 victory over Virginia.
Following Saturday's home opener, FGCU will head north to New Hampshire to take on the Dartmouth Big Green on Monday at 7 PM for the first-ever meeting between the two squads. Â That will be part of two road trips scheduled for next week as 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.
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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 155-87 record (.641 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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