FORT MYERS, Fla. – Behind 19 points from junior Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy), the FGCU men's basketball team (5-2) closed out its non-conference slate with a 73-60 victory over Georgia Southern (6-3) on Tuesday night at Alico Arena. For the second time this season, the Eagles had four player finish in double-digits as Catto was joined by a career-high 16 from sophomore Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy), as well as 10 points each from graduate student Eli Abaev (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Austin Peay) and senior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario/Eastern Florida State).

"They are a really good team that was just on the road and beat FIU," said head coach Michael Fly. "I was really proud of our guys as this was a welcomed sight to be able to withstand the runs and fight back to build out a double-figure lead. All in all, I thought it was a good effort and showcased our growth as a team."

With tonight's win, Largie extended his streak of scoring in double-digits to six games. In addition to his offensive effort against Georgia Southern, the sophomore finished his night with a team-best eight boards along with a pair of assists.

The visiting Eagles' opening lead of three points was their largest of the night as the Green & Blue held the advantage for nearly all of the contest. Georgia Southern struggled to break down FGCU's defense in the first half and was limited to just seven field goals, six of which came from Eric Boone.

Though Georgia Southern was able to keep things close for a majority of the first half, a nine-point scoring spree that was kicked off by a fast-break layup from junior Dom London (Christiana, Pa./Harcum College) sent the home team into the break with a 33-26 edge.

Coming out of the locker room, the momentum continued to favor FGCU as the Eagles extended their lead to as many as 17 points. A Catto-assisted three from Warren re-opened the scoring after the half and a quick seven points from Largie helped the team distance itself from its visitors.

Though Georgia Southern had trouble with fouls in the opening half, it was the home team that struggled with physicality in the second as the Eagles of Statesboro used numerous trips to the charity stripe to pull themselves within 10 points. With just 8:26 left on the clock, FGCU's lead was down to 54-44 in a game that had reached the bonus.

The Green & Blue resisted the push from Georgia Southern and maintained its edge thanks to Catto who anchored the team with eight of its 16 final points.

Throughout the night, FGCU was successful in pushing the pace of play and finished with advantages in both points off of turnovers (22-13) and fast break points (15-5). The Eagles, who also outscored Georgia Southern 34-20 in the paint, were fairly well-matched with their opponents in rebounds though the visiting team did hold a 40-39 edge.

Georgia Southern was led by Boone's game-high 23 points highlighted by four three pointers. Elijah McCadden notched 16 points, while Zack Bryant added 12 to round out the top scorers.

With the win, FGCU has completed its non-conference slate with a 4-1 record within the friendly confines of Alico Arena. The team will now enjoy a 10-day break before hosting North Alabama for the first weekend of ASUN Conference play (Jan. 1 & 2). Both games are set for a 7 p.m. tip at The Nest and will be streamed from on ESPN+.

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.

SUSTAINING FLIGHT 
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes. For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight. 
 
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 169-110 record (.603 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 82 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 38 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 (No. 24, 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 (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. 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--