FORT MYERS, Fla. - A hot shooting second half was not enough to overcome a slow start as the FGCU men's basketball team fell to defending ASUN champion Liberty 59-46 in the league openers for both squads at Alico Arena. After going just 5-of-23 in the first half, the Eagles shot 11-of-17 in the second stanza, but were unable to pull together enough of a rally to erase a 14-point halftime deficit.

FGCU (3-13, 0-1 ASUN) will have a quick turn around as Lipscomb visits Alico Arena on Saturday (7 PM, ESPN+) as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the No. 25 ranked women's program which tips at 4 PM (ESPN+).

Liberty (15-1, 1-0 ASUN) entered tonight's game as one of the top programs in the country after a blistering 14-0 start to the year - its best in program history.

"I thought we really played well in the second half. Against the second-best defensive team in the country, we were able to shoot 64 percent (in the second half) - I told our team afterwards that if we can continue to execute like that and cut down on the 18 turnovers, we're in a position to win the game," said head coach Michael Fly. "I'm encouraged by how they played after the first half, but we are continuing to search for ways to cut down on the turnovers - especially against a team like Liberty which is just that good defensively."

The Eagles were led by 12 points from junior Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, Wash.) who scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep while adding three steals. Junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) had one of his best performances of the year with 12 points and seven assists while committing just two turnovers.

Liberty was led by a game-high 24 points from Caleb Homesley who was 10-of-14 from the floor and added five rebounds. Scottie James was the only other player in the game to reach double figures with 10 points.

Warren scored the opening four points for the Eagles including a driving lay-up at the 15:57 mark with Liberty leading 7-4. Liberty then scored nine straight points and held FGCU scoreless for the next eight minutes to build a 16-4 lead. FGCU cut the lead down to seven twice in the half, but a quick eight point swing for the Flames stretched the lead back to 15 with just under two minutes to go. After a three-pointer from freshman Qwanzi Samuels (District Heights, Md.) Homesley put down an alley-oop with 58 seconds left to put Liberty up 30-16 at the break.

The second half saw the Flames build their lead up to 41-21 but a triple from Gagliardi, five points from junior Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash.), and a lay-up on a fast break by sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) cut the lead back down to 10, 45-35, at the 8:43 mark.

Despite the better shooting effort in the second half, that proved as close as the Eagles could get as the Flames were able to get timely scores to counter FGCU's rally efforts.

Overall, FGCU finished the night shooting 16-of-40 (40%) from the floor, while Liberty was 25-of-47 (53.2%). The Eagles were forced into 18 turnovers but managed to keep the Flames to converting those into just 13 points.

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 158-100 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.
 
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