FORT MYERS, Fla. – In a game that saw 12 lead changes and seven ties, ASUN league-leader North Florida (16-10, 9-2 ASUN) was able to get hot from deep in the second half to edge out the FGCU men's basketball team (7-19, 4-7 ASUN), 69-60, on Saturday night at Alico Arena.
 
Four Eagles finished the night with double-digit points, led by junior Jalen Warren's (Milton, Ontario) 18. Sophomores Zach Scott (Miami, Fla.) and Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla.), as well as junior Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash.) added 11 points each. Rainwater and Catto each had six rebounds to lead all players.
 
Ivan Gandia-Rosa led all players with 22 points and seven assists, while Garrett Sams added 20 points to lead North Florida.

"I told our players that they did battle and they did compete - we were able to come back to take the lead in the second half which was a positive - but I told them we don't do moral victories at FGCU," said head coach Michael Fly. "Obviously we're frustrated because we know that's a game, like several recently, that we have the capability of winning. It comes down to execution and, though we're closing the gap, you can see with teams like North Florida and Liberty, they're limiting those mistakes which is part of the success they're having. A year ago, North Florida lost six straight and folks thought the program was in disarray. Now they are leading the league and that's a credit to coach Driscoll as he continues to build it. I told our team that as an encouraging example because it's really hard for all of us right now because we're not often on the other side of winning every night. I told them that if they continue to fight and claw and they learn from their mistakes, then they will mature and become the team we think they can be just like North Florida has."
 
In the opening 10 minutes, the Ospreys were unable to pull away from the Eagles by any more than three points. Even with 8:22 left before the break, the game was still tied up as a dunk by freshman Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla.) knotted the teams up at 18-18.
 
Late in the first half, the momentum favored UNF as the Ospreys strung together a 12-2 run over a 5:20 stretch to eventually take a 34-24 lead into the locker room.
 
The Eagles came out of the break aggressively, opening up the second half with an 8-0 run that cut the lead down to 37-32. After over two scoreless minutes, the Ospreys finally broke the seal when Gandia-Rosa knocked down a pair of free throws.
 
A trey from Catto brought the team within three with 15 minutes to go, the closest FGCU had been to catching North Florida since the 6:17 mark of the first half.
 
A minute later, the home team regained the lead after Catto found Rainwater for a dunk that put the Eagles up 40-39. On the other end of the court, Gandia-Rosa tried to respond but Rainwater blocked the attempt.
 
Eventually, the Ospreys reeled the Eagles back in and extended their advantage to as much as nine. FGCU, however, continued to chip away and another three-ball from Catto pulled the team back within four with less than six minutes to go. UNF responded with a basket of its own, but Rainwater's second dunk of the night kept the visitor edge at four points.
 
Though they tallied just four baskets from long range in the opening half, the Ospreys' six in the second helped to boost them over the Green and Blue in the final minutes of play. North Florida made four of those threes in the last six minutes of the game alone, solidifying the team's victory.
 
Overall, FGCU shot 27-of-63 from the field, but struggled from deep going 2-of-17. UNF hit 25-of-56 from the floor and finished going 10-of-18 from the three-point line including 6-of-11 in the second half.
 
FGCU will now hit the road for a pair of conference matchups against Kennesaw State (Feb. 13) and Lipscomb (Feb. 15). Tip-off against the Owls is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. The game against the Bisons will also be available on ESPN+, but is set for a 5 p.m. start. Both games will be carried on Fox Sports Radio.
 
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 has helped FGCU to a 162-106 record (.604 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--