MIAMI, Fla. – A 22-to-7 run in the final eight minutes was the difference maker as FIU earned a 77-61 win over the FGCU men's basketball team on Wednesday night at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The loss dropped FGCU to 6-3 overall and snapped a five-game win streak for the Eagles, while FIU improved to 7-1 on the year.
 
In that run, FIU went 6-of-9 from the floor and hit 9-of-10 free throws, while the Eagles were just 3-of-12 and 0-of-7 from beyond the arc. FGCU was also hurt by 20 turnovers in the game, which tied its season high, that FIU was able to convert into 22 points while the Green and Blue picked up just 12 points on 15 Panther miscues.
 
"I thought turnovers really hurt us tonight and that was compounded by not being able to get stops or knock down shots late," said head coach Michael Fly. "We've got a quick turnaround before Saturday, so we'll look over the film to get things cleaned up before playing Dartmouth."
 
Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy) led the Eagles with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting while hauling in eight rebounds and picking up three steals. Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) had nine points, while Kevin Samuel (Codrington Village, Barbuda/Redemption HS/TCU) nearly had a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds.
 
FIU, which has won seven straight games, was led by Tevin Brewer's game-high 24 points along with seven assists and four rebounds. Isaiah Banks posted 16 points and seven rebounds, while Clevon Brown scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to round out the scoring leaders.
 
Overall, FGCU hit 24-of-55 shots, but were just 5-of-25 (20 percent) from the floor. FIU shot 28-of-57 from the floor and were 9-of-29 (31 percent) from deep. The Eagles were averaging 81.3 points per game and 12.1 three pointers entering the night.
 
The Panthers held a 34-30 lead at the break. A three pointer by Matt Halvorsen (Kingsport, Tenn./Christ School/Western Carolina) with 57 seconds left in the first half made it a two-point affair, 32-30, but a dunk on the ensuing possession by Banks 15 seconds later extended the lead to two possessions.
 
In the second half, FIU was able to stretch the lead to seven, 55-48, at the 10:27 mark, but back-to-back triples from Largie and Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill./Don Bosco Institute/Triton College/Tulsa) over the next minute cut the deficit to one.
 
That proved as close as FGCU would get for the balance of the game as FIU closed the night with the 22-to-7 run. Banks and Brewer combined for 13 points in that run.
 
The Eagles will return to Alico Arena on Saturday (7 PM) as they host Dartmouth. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and tickets are still available. The Big Green are 3-2 on the year coming off a loss on Wednesday night at Vermont.
 
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.

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 195-137 record (.583 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 86 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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--