DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team (11-17, 6-7 ASUN) fell at Stetson (6-21, 2-10 ASUN) 67-55 Saturday afternoon at J. Ollie Edmunds Center.
 
Despite the setback, the Eagles officially qualified for the ASUN Championship tournament and maintained their position in fourth place in the current standings. The Green and Blue remain a half-game back of third-place NJIT (18-9, 6-6 ASUN) and are tied with North Florida (12-16, 6-7 ASUN) in the fourth position. Jacksonville (12-15, 5-7 ASUN) and North Alabama (8-19, 5-7 ASUN) are both right behind in a tie for sixth.
 
"You have to give credit to Stetson and Coach (Corey) Williams. They played harder than us tonight and competed for 40 minutes," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "I didn't think we competed at the level we are capable of outside of a few stretches in the game. Today is a hard lesson, but we will learn from it and prepare for Lipscomb."
 
Senior Dinero Mercurius led FGCU with 13 points. Classmate Schadrac Casimir and junior Christian Carlyle both contributed 12 points. Carlyle reached double figures for the first time since the previous meeting against Stetson on Jan. 21.
 
The Eagles shot 38.8 percent (19-for-48) overall, 33.3 percent (8-for-24) from beyond the 3-point arc and 75 percent (9-for-12) at the free-throw line. Stetson converted at a 42.4 percent clip (25-for-59) overall, 28 percent (7-for-25) from deep and 76.9 percent (10-for-13) at the line.
 
Marques Sumners came off the bench to lead all scorers with 15 points. Christiaan Jones added 13 points, and Abayomi Iyiola finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Hatters took a 3-2 lead in the opening moments of the contest and led the rest of the game. They were initially able to open up an 18-10 advantage at the midway point of the first half, and they kept that margin up until securing a 25-18 lead. They went on to outscore FGCU 12-2 in the final four minutes to head into the locker room with a 37-20 advantage.
 
The home team later extended that cushion to 43-22 three minutes in the second period, but FGCU found another gear and ripped off a 20-2 run to pull within 45-42 at the 9:23 mark. The closest the Eagles would come would be a 49-47 deficit with six minutes remaining before running out of steam. Stetson used a 16-3 run of its own to go back on top by 15 before settling for the 12-point victory.
 
UP NEXT
FGCU continues to push for a top-4 spot in the conference tournament when the Green and Blue welcomes league leader Lipscomb (21-5, 12-1 ASUN) at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 in Alico Arena. The Wednesday clash will be a Blueout and will feature a Bison squad that leads the conference with an NCAA NET rating of No. 37 in the nation. The contest will be a rematch of last year's ASUN Championship final, which was won by the Bisons in Fort Myers last year. Lipscomb also narrowly escaped FGCU 89-81 at home on Jan. 24.
 
ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
The FGCU ticket office is accepting reservations for potential ASUN Championship games hosted in Alico Arena, and season ticket holders have the first right of refusal for tournament tickets in the same location as their seats during the regular season.
 
If you're a season ticket holder and interested in reserving your current seat, upgrading your current seat or requesting additional seats, fill out and return the form here. Additional seats will be made available Feb. 18-20. On Feb. 21, home quarterfinal tickets will go on sale to the general public.
 
For more information, contact the FGCU Ticket office by phone at 239-590-7145 or by email at tickets@fgcu.edu.
 
SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram. Like us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB and watch us on Snapchat at FGCU_MBB.
 
WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT
Experience FGCU Basketball this season. The following ticket opportunities are on sale now:
Group Sales
Bring your group of 20 or more to an FGCU Men's or Women's Basketball game. All group tickets include an FGCU hat ($15 value), a $5 game day discount at The Boardwalk restaurant, in game group recognition and more. For more information on group outings, click HERE or call 239-590-7145.
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets are available for all remaining home games. Discounts are available for current or former Military and Youth ages 3-15. Purchase online HERE or call 239-590-7145.
 
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 155-86 record (.643 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 Sixteen. He has coached a dozen all-conference selections while with the Green and Blue, including two ASUN Player of the Year honors in Sherwood Brown and Brandon Goodwin, and two ASUN Defensive Player of the Year selections in Bernard Thompson and Demetris Morant. 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).
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year 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 73 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 34 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 and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport.  The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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