FORT MYERS, Fla. – A 27-to-2 first half run led to the most points in a half this season as the FGCU men's basketball team went into its holiday break with an 84-62 win over St. Thomas on Saturday night at Alico Arena. The 52 points scored by the Eagles in the first half were the most for any half this season.
 
FGCU (3-11) will break for seven days before playing at Southern California on Dec. 29 (10 PM ET). The game will be available on the PAC-12 Network.

"A win is always good to get, especially after our recent stretch, and it is definitely encouraging to see the ball go through the net the way it was tonight," said head coach Michael Fly. "I thought we did a good job responding to how St. Thomas started the game. Before the game we talked about getting to the foul line - something that hasn't been happening as much recently. We got to the line 26 times tonight which I think shows us being aggressive around the rim."
 
Sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.), junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario), and sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) led the Eagles with a combined 50 points. Scott scored a team-high 19 points, while Warren added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Junior Brian Thomas (Kennesaw, Ga.) had seven points in his first home game of the year.
 
Justin Brown led St. Thomas (8-3) with a game-high 24 points while Ahmad Gilbert added 16 points.
 
After St. Thomas scored the first seven points of the game, the Eagles went on a 27-to-2 run over a nine minute stretch to go up 27-9 at the 7:40 mark. FGCU played stifling defense holding the Bobcats to 0-of-14 from the floor in that stretch while the Eagles hit 10-of-17 shots.
 
The Eagles closed the first half with a 9-to-1 run taking a 52-19 lead into the intermission. Scott led FGCU with 15 points in the opening half while Warren had 13 along with five rebounds and three assists.
 
Overall for the game, FGCU hit 29-of-60 field goals while the Bobcats went 20-of-61 from the floor. The Eagles held a 43-to-26 rebounding advantage which led to a 12-to-5 edge in second chance points. FGCU had a season high 21 assists.
 
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 158-98 record (.618 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--