JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior Jalen Warren's (Milton, Ontario) floater with three seconds to go proved the game-winner as the FGCU men's basketball team (7-16, 4-4 ASUN) picked up a key road win, 63-61, at Jacksonville (10-13, 3-5 ASUN) on Thursday night at Swisher Gymnasium.
 
The win places FGCU in a tie for fifth alongside NJIT in the ASUN standings. The Eagles will stay on the road this weekend with a Saturday trip to Liberty which is tied for the league lead. Tip-off against the Flames is set for 7 PM and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
For Warren, the game-winner was his second of the season as he tallied 18 points in the game. His first game-winning shot of the season came against FAU at Alico Arena in overtime and was the No. 1 Play of the Day on ESPN's SportsCenter. The guard was particularly effective in the second half where he scored 12 of his points including the first five for FGCU out of the break.
 
Sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) led all scorers with 20 points for his third-straight game with 20-or-more. That marked the first time since Brandon Goodwin, now with the Atlanta Hawks, did so during the 2017-18 season (2/15, 2/17, 2/22). Catto notched 23 points at North Alabama and 21 points against NJIT bring his scoring average in ASUN games this season up to 16.0 per contest.
 
"I thought tonight was a really gutsy and gritty game by our guys," said head coach Michael Fly. "Jacksonville is a tough, tough team and hard to beat when the fans in Swisher Gym get going. I was proud of the guys for continuing to fight after JU cut down our 10 point lead. Those were games we hadn't won recently. We are certainly seeing positive signs here and, as we all know, if you can play the right way at the right time of year, special things can happen."
 
In addition to Warren and Catto, sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) scored 11 points in his first start in eight games. Junior Brian Thomas (Kennesaw, Ga.) led all players with a season-high nine rebounds, while senior Tracey Hector (Riverdale, Ga.) added eight boards.
 
Overall, the Eagles hit 23-of-59 field goals including 10-of-28 from beyond the arc. Both Catto and Scott had three triples each. The Dolphins hit 23-of-57 going 8-of-21 from long range.
 
Jacksonville was led by 19 points from Destin Barnes and 10 points from David Bell.
 
The Eagles took a 32-28 lead into intermission after Warren hit a floater with six seconds left in the first half – part of a five-point swing to close the stanza.
 
In the second half, FGCU extended its lead to as many as 10, 52-42, at the 8:42 mark on a Catto triple. The Dolphins then scored 11-straight in a two-minute spurt to regain the lead. A Catto jumper followed by a Warren three and another Catto score in the paint re-extended the Eagles lead to 59-53 with 2:45 to go.
 
Jacksonville pulled back even to tie the game 61-61 with 17 seconds remaining. Warren's floater in the paint on the ensuing possession put the Eagles back on top. The Dolphins had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Deanthony McCallum's three-point shot from the wing was just off the mark as the Eagles took the 63-61 win.

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. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's basketball and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
FGCU basketball tickets for the 2019-20 season are on sale and can be purchased by contacting 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. 

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
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 162-103 record (.609 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 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus 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 women's basketball (2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three 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-one 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--