LYNCHBURG, Va. – The FGCU men's basketball team (10-16, 5-6 ASUN) lost a narrow 74-67 road contest to Liberty (21-5, 10-1 ASUN) Saturday night in Vines Center.
 
Despite the setback, the Eagles remained in a tie for fourth place in the ASUN Conference after North Alabama (8-18, 5-6 ASUN) fell at home earlier in the day to North Florida.

"You have to give credit to Liberty tonight for making the plays down the stretch to win the game," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "I was really proud of our fight down 14 to cut it back to two, but they made a few more plays than us down the stretch. We will learn from tonight and prepare for NJIT on Wednesday."
 
Senior Schadrac Casimir erupted for a game-high 33 points in the contest. He was 8 of 14 overall, 5 of 8 from downtown and 12 of 13 from the free-throw line to hit the 30-point mark for the third time this season. Joining him in double figures was classmate Dinero Mercurius, who scored 16 points all in the second half off the bench.
 
FGCU shot 46.7 percent (21-for-45) from the field, 41.7 percent (10-for-24) from behind the 3-point line and 71.4 percent (15-for-21) at the free-throw mark. The Flames finished shooting 43.3 percent (26-for-60) overall, 35.5 percent (11-for-31) from distance and 84.6 percent (11-for-13) at the charity stripe.
 
Scottie James paced LU with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Caleb Homesley added 13 points, Lovell Cabbil contributed 12 points and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz scored 10 for the Flames.
 
The Eagles hung with the home side through the entire opening 20 minutes of play and trailed just 35-31 at intermission. FGCU stole the momentum early by taking a 12-6 lead, but a 7-0 run allowed LU to go back on top. Liberty was able to stretch its advantage out to 21-16 and maintain that five-point cushion at 23-18 with six minutes remaining in the opening half. Five points from Casimir sparked a 9-2 run that gave the visitors a 29-26 edge with just 1:28 left until the break. Three 3-point baskets on the last three possessions from Liberty spoiled a 19-point first-half effort from Casimir and gave the Flames a four-point lead heading into the locker room.
 
Liberty was able to carry that momentum into the second half, but FGCU remained close with a pair of triples from Casimir and true freshman Zach Scott to hold the gap at 51-44 at the 12:21 mark. Over the course of the next three minutes, LU used another 7-0 run to push the lead out to 58-44, but eight points from Mercurius and a layup from sophomore Brian Thomas kept FGCU within striking distance at 60-54. When all was said and done, Mercurius had exploded for 14 points in just three and a half minutes to spark a 16-4 run and get FGCU within 62-60. The visitors fought hard the last five minutes, but one last 12-7 push from the home side allowed Liberty to avoid falling at home.
 
UP NEXT
FGCU puts its four-game home win streak on the line when the Green and Blue plays host to NJIT at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in Alico Arena. The midweek clash will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will feature a Blueout. The Highlanders (18-7, 6-4 ASUN) will enter the game third place in the conference. They defeated the Eagles 66-54 Jan. 30 in New Jersey.
 
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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