DeLAND, Fla. – Sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) scored a career-high 19 points and junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) scored eight of his 16 points in overtime as the FGCU men's basketball team won 66-62 at Stetson's Edmunds Center on Saturday evening.
 
The back-and-forth contest featured 18 lead changes and eight ties before the Eagles were able to pull away in the final 64 seconds of overtime.
 
"I thought that was as gritty of a road win as we've had since I've been here; it was a great team effort and we really had some guys step up tonight," said head coach Michael Fly. "We challenged them tonight to limit Stetson on the offensive glass and to hold them to zero second chance points was a really huge accomplishment. I'm really proud of the fight and resolve that the team had especially when we were down some late."
 
FGCU (5-14, 2-2 ASUN) carried a 27-26 lead into halftime, but needed Catto's career-best fifth three-pointer of the day with 17 seconds left in regulation to force the extra stanza. Stetson (7-11, 1-2 ASUN) took an early lead in overtime, but Warren's performance helped lift the Eagles to their second overtime and first road victory of the season.
 
Catto finished the day going 5-of-7 from three-point range and 7-of-13 overall while adding six rebounds. Warren's 16 points included a 4-of-4 free throw performance with two of them coming in the final 25 seconds of overtime pushing the FGCU lead to four. Rounding out the Eagles' top scorers was sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) who had 10 points, while senior Tracy Hector (Riverdale, Ga.) tied his career-high with 7 assists to go with five rebounds and three steals.
 
Stetson led by as many as seven midway through the first half, but a 10-to-2 run for FGCU put the Eagles back ahead, 19-18, at the 7:43 mark. The teams traded leads three more times after that before Warren found freshman Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla.) for the go-ahead dunk just prior to the intermission.
 
The second half saw both teams trading buckets as the stanza featured 10 lead changes and six ties. With 1:23 to go, Mahamadou Diawara hit a lay-up putting the Hatters up three. Both teams missed jumpers on the ensuing possessions before Catto tied the game, 54-54, with 17 seconds to go. Jahlil Rawley was able to get a shot off just before the buzzer but it was off target sending the game to overtime.
 
The Hatters scored first in overtime with a triple from Rob Perry and kept the lead for nearly three minutes until a pair of free throws by junior Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash.) tied the game at 60-60.
 
A running jumper by Warren followed by two free throws put the Eagles up 64-60 with 25 seconds to go. Stetson pulled back within two, but, with 12 seconds to go, Scott hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to four, 66-62. After a timeout, Perry was able to get off another three-point attempt with two seconds to go, but was just off the mark with Catto clearing the rebound to preserve the win.
 
Perry finished the night with a game-high 27 points for Stetson as he hit 10-of-18 from the floor and was 5-of-9 from deep. Christiaan Jones rounded out the Hatters' top scorers with 13 points.
 
Overall, FGCU hit 21-of-48 from the floor and went 18-of-20 from the free throw line for one of its best performances of the year. The Hatters shot 25-of-54 and were limited to just 6-of-10 at the line.
 
Defensively, the Eagles were able to corral 23 defensive rebounds and did not allow a single second-chance point for the Hatters in the game.
 
FGCU will return to action this Thursday, Jan. 16 when Kennesaw State visits Alico Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 PM and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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 160-101 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--