FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team never trailed through 40 minutes of play as it earned a 68-61 victory over Lipscomb on Saturday night at Alico Arena. The team shot a season-best 54.2 percent from the floor as it claimed its first conference win of the year over the Bisons' squad that advanced to last year's NIT final.
 
"Our postgame speech was an emphatic 'Great WIN' to the team – we needed that one and it was great to see the confidence which I think will grow from here," said head coach Michael Fly. "I think we're continuing to learn and grow; it's stressful to go through that, but it will make us better in the long term. The players were really locked in today and really did a great job executing the game plan throughout the night."
 
The Eagles (4-13, 1-1 ASUN) opened up the game with their best start of the 2019-20 season, using an 19-2 run to stun the Bisons (6-9, 1-1 ASUN). Junior Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, Wash.) led the early scoring for the home team as he shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the opening four minutes. At the first media timeout, FGCU led Lipscomb 19-4 just 4 minutes, 12 seconds into the game.
 
As the Bisons started to develop their rhythm on offense, the team threatened to cut FGCU's lead into single digits when Carson Cary capitalized on an Eagle turnover. Freshman Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla.) responded to the push with a trey that re-extended the lead to 26-13 with just under 12 minutes to go.
 
For the first time all night, Lipscomb did trim the lead down to single digits thanks to a three-ball from Andrew Fleming that brought the Bisons within seven around the five-minute mark. Sophomores Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.) and Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) combined for six points in the final minutes of play, allowing the home team to take a 38-27 edge into the locker room.
 
In the opening 20 minutes, the Eagles shot 55.2 percent from the floor and 50 percent from long range. While the teams were evenly matched with 16 points apiece in the paint, FGCU held a 7-2 advantage in second-chance points, as well as a 9-2 edge in bench points.
 
The teams were fairly evenly matched coming out of the break, as both sides responded to one another on offense. Eventually, the Bisons were able to string together back-to-back plays that brought them as close as seven with just over 13 minutes to go in the game, the closest that they had gotten to the home team all night.
 
Throughout the final minutes of play, Lipscomb held FGCU's lead to single digits. The team used a 6-0 run over a span of a little more than two minutes to make it a 65-69 game with just under two minutes left in the game. Finally, senior Tracy Hector Jr. (Riverdale, Ga.) broke the seal for the Green and Blue by capitalizing on a trip to the charity stripe. He then went on to draw a crucial charge on the other end of the court that kept the Bisons at bay.
 
Catto put the game away with a pair of free throws in the final seconds as the Eagles eventually held on for the win.  
 
The FGCU bench proved to be the one of the key difference-makers in the victory, as they outshot the opposition 21-4. Gagliardi led the offense, finishing the night with 14 points and was joined in the double-digit scoring by both Catto (13) and Scott (12).
 
Up Next
The Eagles will hit the road for a two-game conference swing that will feature matchups against UNF (Jan. 9) and Stetson (Jan. 11). The game against the Ospreys (9-8, 2-0 ASUN) is set for a 7 p.m. start and will be streamed on ESPN +. FGCU and the Hatters (7-10, 1-1 ASUN) will face off in a 4 p.m. game that will also be shown on ESPN +.


 
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 has helped FGCU to a 159-100 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--