FGCU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 5	Rhode Island (4-1) vs. FGCU (2-2)
Date // Time	Tuesday, Nov. 23 // 7:00 p.m.
Location	Fort Myers, Fla. // Alico Arena
Promos	White Out // Hail To The Eagles
Live Statistics	Stat Broadcast
Watch Online	ESPN+
ASUN Notes	ASUN Standings // ASUN Scoreboard // ASUN Stats
Tickets	Order Online // 866-FGCU-TIX
Twitter	@FGCU_MBB // @FGCUEagles
Instagram	FGCU Men's Basketball
Facebook	FGCU Men's Basketball

  
FORT MYERS, Fla. – It's a quick turnaround for the FGCU men's basketball team as the Eagles return to action on Tuesday night when Rhode Island visits Alico Arena. The opening tip is set for 7 PM and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
Tickets are still available by calling 866-FGCU-TIX, stopping by the Alico Arena Ticket Office, or visiting www.FGCUTickets.com. Additionally, the FGCU Ticket Office is offering a special Fans-Giving promotion where you can get reserved sideline seats to either the women's basketball game on Dec. 1 against Princeton (7 PM) or the men's basketball game against Dartmouth on Dec. 4 (7 PM). That offer expires at Noon this Friday, Nov. 26 and can only be taken advantage of by CLICKING THIS LINK.
 
The Eagles (2-2) are coming off Sunday's 99-59 win over Eckerd where six players scored in double-figures led by Dakota Rivers and Zach Anderson who each had 15 points. This week, including the Eckerd game, will feature five games in seven days for the Green and Blue as it will also host the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Invitational this Friday through Sunday, Nov. 26-28. FGCU will host Western Michigan on Friday night (7 PM), Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday (7 PM), and Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday (6 PM). Each day will also feature an early non-FGCU game at 4:30 PM on Friday and Saturday and 1:30 PM on Sunday.
 
Through four games this year, FGCU is averaging 82.8 points while giving up 70.8 per game. The Eagles have solid shooting numbers at 45.1 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from deep. FGCU ranks third in the league in scoring, second in scoring margin (+12.0), and second in blocked shots (4.50), while leading the league in rebounding (44.0), made three-pointers (12.75/game), and assists (20.0/game).
 
The Green and Blue is led by Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington HS/Akron/Duquesne) and Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy) who are averaging 18.7 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Victor Rosa (Naranjito, Puerto Rico / Central Pointe Christian Academy), buoyed by a 20-point effort against Florida National, is the third leading scorer at 11.5 points a night. Three others are averaging over seven points a game.
 
The Rams are averaging 70.6 points while giving up just over 63 points a night following Sunday night's 71-65 win over Boston College in the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach. The Rams played the Eagles twice in the tournament with the first coming at the Ryan Center in Rhode Island winning both.
 
Jeremy Sheppard leads the Rams with a 12.8 point per game average followed by Mahkel Mitchell's 11.4 points. Makhi Mitchell (7.6 rebounds) and Ishamel El-Amin round out the scoring leaders at 10.0 and 9.4 points, respectively.
 
URI's lone loss on the year came against Tulsa in the Sunshine Slam, 77-71. The Eagles' two losses came on the road at Loyola Chicago which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 last year and to No. 25 USC which reached the NCAA Elite 8 a year ago as well.
  • FGCU is 0-1 all-time against Rhode Island with the previous match-up coming on Dec. 27, 2017 in Kingston, R.I. Antravious Simmons led the Eagles with 14 points in that game followed by 10 points from both Brandon Goodwin and RaySean Scott, Jr. The Rams used a 21-to-6 run spanning the intermission to pull away in the win.
  • Six players, led by 15 points from both Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) and Zach Anderson (Orlando, Fla./Apopka HS), scored in double-figures on Sunday night as FGCU defeated Eckerd, 99-59. Tavian Dunn-Martin (13), Cyrus Largie (12), Andre Weir (11), and Kevin Samuel (11) all socred in double-digits making it the first time since the Eagles' 103-70 win over North Florida on Jan. 29, 2018.
  • Tavian Dunn-Martin is the leading scorer in the ASUN with his 18.7 point per game average. He also ranks third in three-point percentage (.448) and three-pointers made (4.33). His 34 points at Loyola Chicago still stands as the top individual performance by any ASUN player this year.
• Kevin Samuel [Codrington Village, Barbuda/Redemption HS (Texas)/TCU] leads the ASUN in blocked shots (2.67) and ranks fourth in the league in rebounding (7.3).
• Cyrus Largie ranks second in field goal percentage (.512), while Luis Rolon (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy) ranks third in assists per game (5.25) and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.63).
  • The home game against No. 25 USC and former Eagles head coach Andy Enfield was officially a sellout with 4,509 fans packing into The Nest. It was just shy of the program record 4,711 fans who were on hand to see FGCU defeat North Florida for the 2017 ASUN Championship title.
• The game was part of a special two-day event as FGCU held the official induction ceremony for the 2013 Dunk City Team into the newly formed Athletics Hall of Fame. Returning members from that team were also honored at halftime on Tuesday.
• It also marked the first time in program history that a Top 25-ranked opponent had visited Alico Arena in the Division I era.
  • Tavian Dunn-Martin certainly made a splash in his FGCU debut on Saturday at Loyola Chicago. The 5-foot-8 guard scored a career-high 34 points which stand as the fourth-most points scored by any player in the country this season for a single-game.
• The effort also ranks as the sixth-most points for a single game overall in FGCU history and marked the second-most points in the program's Division I era. It also stood as the most points for a player in their Eagle debut.
• Dunn-Martin's nine three pointers tied the program's Division I era record. At the start of the 2nd half, he hit four straight triples which helped FGCU cut an 18 point halftime deficit to just four in the second half before the Ramblers were able to hold off the Eagles to win the game. Overall, he shot 55 percent for the game (64.3 percent from beyond the arc) connecting on 11-of-20 field goal attempts.
  • Last season, FGCU led the ASUN in eight team statistical categories including blocked shots per game (4.3), defensive rebounds (27.33), steals per game (7.4), and total blocks (77). The Eagles were also second in defensive field goal percentage (42.1) and turnovers forced (14.44), while ranking third in scoring defense (69 ppg).
• While Kevin Samuel is expected to bolster FGCU's defense with his TCU-record 206 career blocked shots, making him one of the top-10 active career players in the NCAA this season, FGCU also returns last season's top shot blocker in Dakota Rivers.
• Rivers led the ASUN last year with 1.94 blocks per game as well as total blocks (35). He enters 2021-22 ranked fifth in career blocked shots (74) and first in career blocked shots per game (1.5).
  • TCU transfer Kevin Samuel was selected as the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and as a member of the league's preseason all-conference team.
• The 6-foot-11, 255 pound center is the third FGCU player to earn the preseason ASUN Defensive Player of the Year award and the first since Demetris Morant did so in 2016-17. Bernard Thompson earned the accolade twice in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
• At TCU, Samuel started all 95 career games of his career and set the school record for blocked shots with 206 in three years. For his career, he's averaged 8.8 points and 7.7 rebounds while leading the Big 12 in blocks twice. Among active NCAA players at the end of the 2020-21 season, his 206 career blocks were the ninth most.
• Last season, he averaged 8.8 points, third best on the team, through 26 games. His 7.8 rebounds ranked third in the Big 12, while his 1.7 blocks per game led the conference. His 62.5 field goal percentage was the best on the team as well.
  • With the change of transfer rules and the additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19, FGCU made recruiting transfers a high priority for this season's roster.
• In addition to Samuel, FGCU added Tavian Dunn-Martin (Duquesne), Matt Halvorsen (Kingsport, Tenn./Christ School/Western Carolina), Carlos Rosario (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Redemption Prep/Pensacola College/McNeese State), and Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill./Don Bosco Institute/Triton College/Tulsa).
• Dunn-Martin was the 2018-19 Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year and has played in 116 career games, while Halvorsen hit 297 career three pointers to rank 9th all-time in Southern Conference history.
• Rosario and Richie each bring a wealth of experience at the Division I level and add depth at the forward and guard positions, respectively.
  • Highlighted by returning its top two scorers in Cyrus Largie (13.4 ppg) and Caleb Catto (13.3 ppg), FGCU returns 63-percent of its scoring from last season.
• Among the transfers, three averaged double figures last year: Dunn-Martin (10.2 ppg), Halvorsen (12.1 ppg), and Rosario (12.0 ppg). Samuel averaged 8.8 points last season, but had his best statistical season in 2019-20 where he scored 10.0 points per game with 8.4 rebounds and a Big 12 leading 2.7 blocks per game.
   • Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by going online to www.FGCUTickets.com or calling 866-FGCU-TIX. Group tickets can also be purchased for 10-or-more making a memorable evening for families, businesses, or other organizations.