JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four Eagles scored in double-figures led by a career-high tying 16 from sophomore Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.), but North Florida hit 16 three pointers pacing the Ospreys to an 89-74 win over the FGCU men's basketball team at UNF Arena.
 
FGCU falls to 4-14 overall and 1-2 in ASUN action, while UNF improved to 10-8 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Eagles will stay on the road with a trip to Stetson on Saturday afternoon featuring a 4 PM tip on ESPN+.
 
Catto's 16 points came on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor, while also adding seven rebounds and six assists – both just shy of his career-best marks. Junior Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash.) notched 11 points spurred by five dunks and added five rebounds. Sophomore Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) also tallied 11 points, while junior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario) rounded out the Eagles' leaders with 10 points.

"Our message today was having to get UNF out of their comfort zone, to make the tough plays, get loose balls, block shots and so on, because you know they are going to hit a ton of threes," said head coach Michael Fly. "Tip your hat to Coach Driscoll because he's been able to assemble a group, and this is what we're working towards, of players who have been together for three and four years now. They capitalized on some mistakes of our tonight with run-out threes which certainly impacted momentum. On top of that, we didn't do a good job of make a lot of the tough plays to get them uncomfortable enough to break their offensive rhythm."
 
UNF was led by 20 points from J.T. Escobar who went 5-of-9 from deep. Ivan Gandia-Rosa tallied 19 points and five assists, while Carter Hendricksen posted 18 points and had five helpers as well. Garrett Sams was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc for 12 points, while Wajid Aminu finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
 
Overall, the Ospreys, the nation's leader in made three-pointers, connected on 16-of-31 three-point attempts, while FGCU was able to convert 6-of-14. Against the UNF zone, the Eagles were able to get several good field goal attempts off in the paint, but shot just 29-of-62 for the game.
 
After UNF built out a double-figure lead late in the first half, FGCU was able to whittle it down to four, 33-29 at the 4:56 mark, following a three-pointer by Scott and a jumper from Catto. The Ospreys, however, closed out the final minutes of the opening stanza on a 9-to-2 run taking a 42-31 lead into the intermission.
 
The start of the second half featured more deep-shooting from UNF with a pair of triples in the first five minutes of play. The Ospreys pushed their lead to 16, 56-40 with 14:36 remaining, on a Gandia-Rosa fast break three-pointer forcing a FGCU timeout at the 14:36 mark.
 
FGCU was able to cut the lead to 12 over the next four minutes, but UNF strung together a 7-to-2 run to re-extend their lead midway through the stanza. The Eagles could only cut the deficit to 14 down the stretch of the game as North Florida won its 10^th consecutive home game to stay unbeaten in ASUN action.
 
 
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 159-101 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.
 
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