MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Behind 31 points on the strength of nine three pointers from Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington HS/Akron/Duquesne), the FGCU men's basketball team picked up an 85-74 win at Robert Morris on Saturday night at the UPMC Events Center. The win improved the Eagles to 9-3 overall including their third straight win, while the Colonials fell to 1-8 overall.
 
The 9-3 start to the season for the Green and Blue is the third-best beginning to a campaign in program history. It tied the 2014-15 squad for wins as it started 9-2 on the year. The 2003-04 program set the overall record with a 14-0 start.
 
"That was a good road win against a team that, despite their current record, is generally really tough to play against at home," said head coach Michael Fly. "Once we got settled in around the middle of the first half, we were able to make some plays and get some stops that helped build momentum for us. Proud of the effort overall; getting two roads wins in a week is tough sometimes so this helps us as we go into a bit of a break for exams and can then lock in on the final two games of the semester."
 
Dunn-Martin's 31 points marked the second 30-point game of the season for him. His nine three pointers tied his season high and stand tied as the third most for a single game in program history. In addition to his scoring effort, he also posted a double-double with 12 assists which were just one shy of his career high set against Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Kevin Samuel [Codrington Village, Barbuda/Redemption HS (Texas)/TCU] also posted a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds while blocking two shots. He was highly efficient from the floor going 9-of-11 overall. The performance marked his third double-double of the year with both his points and rebounds just one shy each from his season highs.
 
Rounding out the top performers for the Eagles was Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) who had 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals on the night. Catto's scoring was bolstered by going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
 
Robert Morris was led by 20 points from Kahliel Spear who also had 11 rebounds. Rasheem Dunn had 16 points and seven assists, while Enoch Cheeks and Justin Winston each had 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
 
Overall, FGCU shot 48.4 percent (31-64) from the floor and were 14-of-35 (40%) beyond the arc. The Eagles held a 40-to-26 advantage in rebounding which led to 20 fast break points and eight second chance points.
 
FGCU led by as many as 11 in the first half thanks to 16 points from Dunn-Martin and took a 44-35 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, back-to-back triples from Dunn-Martin followed by a jumper from Carlos Rosario (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Redemption Prep/Pensacola College/McNeese State) pushed the lead to 61-45 at the 13:13 mark. Robert Morris was able to cut the deficit to single-digits, 81-72, with a 12-to-3 run, but Franco Miller, Jr. (Freeport, Bahamas/Ole Miss), and Rosario each hit a pair of free throws in the final minute to secure the second road win of the week.
 
The Eagles will have the next week off for exams before returning to action with a home game on Sunday, Dec. 19 against long-time rival Mercer. Tip off is set for 2 PM and the game will be streamed live 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.

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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 198-137 record (.587 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).
 
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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.
 
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