FGCU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 18	FGCU (4-13, 1-1 ASUN) at North Florida (9-8, 2-0 ASUN)
Date // Time	Thurs., Jan. 9 // 7 PM
Location	Jacksonville, Fla. // UNF Arena
Live Statistics	Sidearm Live Stats
Television	N/A
Watch Online	ESPN+
Radio	N/A
Game Notes	FGCU | ASUN | UNF
Twitter	@FGCUEagles // @FGCU_MBB
Instagram	FGCU Men's Basketball
Facebook	FGCU Men's Basketball
Directions // Tickets	Directions to UNF Arena // Tickets

 

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After splitting its opening weekend of ASUN play which included a home win over Lipscomb, the FGCU men's basketball team heads back to the road on Thursday night for a trip to North Florida. Tip-off is set for 7 PM and the game will be streamed on ESPN+. 

The Eagles shot a season-best 54.2 percent in the win over Lipscomb. FGCU came out blazing with a 19-4 run in the first four minutes of play and never looked back. 

Junior Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, Wash.) led the way with 14 points en route to being named the ASUN Newcomer of the Week. Gagliardi averaged 14 points in the two games of the week and shot over 57 percent from deep going 8-of-14. 

Sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) continues to lead the Eagles in scoring this season with 11.4 points per night followed by 10.2 points per game from fellow sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.). Along with junior Jalen Warren's (Milton, Ontario) 9.1 points per outing, the trio's 521 combined points accounts for half of the team's 1,028 total points.

Warren's 62 assists on the season are the second-most of any other player in the ASUN. UNF's Ivan Gandia-Rosa paces the league with 99.

Scott's name also pops up in the conference rankings, as he leads the ASUN in total steals (28). 

As a team, the Eagles lead the league with an average of 4.2 blocks per game. Both freshman Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla.) and junior Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash.) have spearheaded that effort, combining for a total of 45 blocks, the most of any duo in the conference. Individually, they rank fourth and fifth, respectively. 

UNF has won nine consecutive at home but will play in Jacksonville for the first time in over a month. Part of that success has been on UNF's ability to shoot the deep ball. The Ospreys lead the league with 211 made three-pointers and are the only team to hit 200-or-more so far this season. The Ospreys are led primarily by Gandia-Rosa who has already passed the 1,000-point mark for his career and needs just four assists to hit the 500 helper plateau.

Following Thursday's match-up, FGCU will head to Stetson on Saturday for a 4 PM tip-off.

Series History vs. North Florida
• FGCU enters Thursday's game at UNF with an 18-13 record in the all-time series though the Ospreys do have a 9-6 advantage at home.
• The teams split the series last year with each team holding serve on their home courts. FGCU won in Fort Myers, 88-80, while UNF won in Jacksonville 87-66. 
• FGCU has won nine of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2016.

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 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--