FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team (12-17, 7-7 ASUN) upset ASUN Conference leader Lipscomb (21-6, 12-2 ASUN) 67-61 Wednesday night in Alico Arena.
 
The Eagles increased their ASUN-leading home win streak to six games. The victory could not have come at a better time, as the Green and Blue continue to battle for a top-4 spot in the conference standings. With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, NJIT (19-9, 7-6) maintained its third-place position, while the Eagles are still tied for fourth with North Florida (13-16, 7-7). North Alabama (9-19, 6-7) is in solo sixth, and Jacksonville (11-16, 5-8) sits in solo seventh.
 
The top four teams at the end of the regular season will earn home games in the opening round of the 2019 ASUN Championship on March 4.
 
"I'm really proud of our entire roster tonight. We were able to find a way to play harder than those guys toward the end. They're as good a team as we've played all year," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "We normally do goals for the game. I told them after the game to throw the goals out because tonight they played as hard as they could possibly play on almost every possession, and that's why we won the game."
 
The Eagles received big-time efforts from multiple players, including a game-high 16-point contribution from Dinero Mercurius (Orlando, FL/Faith Baptist Christian/Daytona State). The senior went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line and added five rebounds. Classmate Schadrac Casimir (Stamford, CT/Trinity Catholic/Iona) scored 15 points, while junior Christian Carlyle (Jacksonville, FL/Bishop Kenny HS) contributed 13 points of his own. True freshman Zach Scott (Miami, FL/Westminster Academy) tallied eight points and a season-high eight rebounds, while sophomore Brian Thomas (Kennesaw, GA/Kell HS) finished with seven rebounds and a career-high six blocks.
 
The visitors came out early and showed why they are ranked No. 36 in the nation by taking an early 11-5 advantage. The Eagles answered right back and showed the power of Alico by countering with a 6-0 run of their own to tie the game. Neither team went on top by more than four points the rest of the first half, and it was the Bisons who were able to grind into a 26-23 lead with less than four minutes left. An and-1 from Carlyle and four points from true freshman Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, FL/SW Florida Christian Academy) helped FGCU close the half on a 7-2 run to take a 30-28 lead. The result marked the second time all year during league play that Lipscomb both had failed to reach 30 points in the first half and trailed at the break.
 
The Eagles built a 35-30 advantage across the first two minutes of the second half, but the Bisons scored the next 10 points to move ahead by five. Lipscomb was able to stretch its advantage out to 49-42 with 9:30 remaining on the clock, but the Green and Blue scored the next seven points to pull level at the 6:33 mark.
 
The next two possessions saw the Bisons continue to find leads, but the home team also continued to counter with buckets of their own. A 5-0 run gave the Eagles a slim 56-53 advantage with four minutes remaining, but a pair of free throws from Lipscomb brought the visitors to within one at the 3:41 mark. That began the most important sequence of the game. FGCU chewed nearly two entire minutes off the clock thanks to three huge offensive rebounds, two that were hauled in by junior Brady Ernst (Clinton, IA/Clinton HS/Indian Hills CC). The possession ended with two Mercurius free throws, and a Carlyle jumper in the paint with 58 seconds left put the Green and Blue on top by five. The Eagles went 11-for-12 on their free-throw attempts down the stretch to make sure they would hold on for the upset victory.
 
FGCU finished the game with 10 blocks, which was the first time reaching double figures in that category since Dec. 28, 2015 (at South Dakota). The Eagles also led the night in points in the paint (28-26) and bench production (23-18).
 
The home team shot 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the field, 21.7 percent (5-for-23) from beyond the 3-point arc and 85.7 percent (18-for-21) at the free-throw line. Lipscomb was held to just 29.4 percent (20-for-68) overall, 31.8 percent (7-for-22) from distance and 77.8 percent (14-for-18) at the charity stripe.
 
The Bisons were held to their worst overall shooting day since Nov. 18, 2017 (at Texas). This also marked their worst shooting production against a conference opponent since Feb. 15, 2015 (at USC Upstate).
 
ASUN leading scorer Garrison Mathews needed 17 shots just to finish with 16 points. This was the second time all season – and the first since Dec. 4 at Belmont – that he scored fewer points than shots taken. Kenny Cooper added 13 points, and Andrew Fleming contributed 10.
 
UP NEXT
FGCU will play one more game inside Alico Arena this regular season on Saturday. The Eagles welcome Kennesaw State at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 for a Whiteout and Senior Night. FGCU topped KSU 72-59 in Georgia on Jan. 19.
 
ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
The FGCU ticket office is still accepting reservations from season ticket holders for potential ASUN Championship games hosted in Alico Arena. If you're a season ticket holder and interested in reserving your current seats, upgrading your seat location or requesting additional seats, fill out and return the form HERE. Every effort will be made to place your tournament tickets in the same location as your season tickets. Men's home quarterfinal tickets will go on sale to the general public as soon as a top four host seed is clinched.
 
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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