FGCU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 13	Mercer (7-4) vs. FGCU (9-3)
Date // Time	Sunday, Dec. 19 // 2:00 p.m.
Location	Fort Myers, Fla. // Alico Arena
Live Statistics	Statbroadcast Live Stats
Watch Online	ESPN+
ASUN Notes	ASUN Standings // ASUN Scoreboard // ASUN Stats
Tickets	Next Home Game: Jan. 4 vs. North Florida - Order Online // 866-FGCU-TIX
Twitter	@FGCU_MBB // @FGCUEagles
Instagram	FGCU Men's Basketball
Facebook	FGCU Men's Basketball

  
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Having won three straight before the break for exams, the FGCU men's basketball team returns to Alico Arena for the final time in the fall semester to host former ASUN rival Mercer on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 2 PM and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
It will be Ugly Sweater Night in Alico Arena for fans to showcase their fun holiday spirit.
 
The Department of Athletics will also be collecting toiletries and supplies to share with those affected by the tornados that caused damaged throughout the western Kentucky region. Dropoff locations will be in the Alico Arena.
 
The Eagles have not only won their last three games after picking up a pair of road wins last week at Florida A&M and Robert Morris, but the Green and Blue has also won eight of its last nine. The 9-3 start to the year is the third-best all-time in program history. The nine wins in the first 12 games are the most since the 2014-15 squad opened the season with a 9-2 record. All-time, the best start in program history was a 14-0 start by the 2003-04 squad.
 
The match-up against Mercer will mark the return game from FGCU's 2019 trip down to Macon. It will also be the first time the Bears have visited Alico Arena since the two ASUN rivals played for the 2014 ASUN Championship Title.
 
This will be just the second meeting between the two programs since the ASUN Championship game during the 2014 season - the final year that Mercer was a member of the ASUN. The teams last played in Macon during the 2019-20 season with the Bears winning 84-68. Mercer leads the all-time series 13-5 though FGCU had won four of the six meetings prior to the 2014 title game. FGCU has won two of the last three meetings in Alico Arena.
 
Through 12 games this year, FGCU is averaging 78.6 points while giving up 69.9 per game. The Eagles have solid shooting numbers at 45.7 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from deep. FGCU ranks second in the league in scoring, fourth in scoring margin (+8.7), and second in three pointers made (134/11.2/game), while leading the league in blocked shots (60, 5.0/game), total rebounds (462, 38.5/game) and total assists (202, 16.8/game).
 
The Green and Blue is led by Tavian Dunn-Martin and Cyrus Largie who are averaging 19.5 and 12.9 points per game, respectively. Kevin Samuel is averaging just under a double-double with 10.5 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds, while adding 33 blocks.
 
Along with his scoring, Dunn-Martin also leads the Eagles in assists with 5.0 per game. He is the top three-point shooter for FGCU at .411 followed just behind by Caleb Catto (.408). Samuel is the overall field goal percentage leader at 72.5 percent from the floor.
 
The Bears are averaging 73.9 points while giving up just over 70 a night. Mercer has won five straight games, but are 2-3 on the road this season.
 
Felipe Haase leads the Bears scoring 15.3 points a night while pulling down nearly six boards. Jalen Johnson is the second-leading scorer with a 14.1 point average followed by Neftali Alvarez who is posting 13.9 points per game.
 
FGCU enters the weekend ranked No. 158 in the NCAA RPI/NET Rankings – over 100 points higher than last season's final NET ranking of 286 for the Eagles in the abbreviated season. That puts FGCU third among ASUN teams with Jacksonville the top league team at No. 118 followed by Liberty (No. 132), and Jacksonville State (No. 190).

Following the Mercer game, the Eagles will have a quick turnaround travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to play Canisius on Wednesday night (7 PM) in the non-conference finale. FGCU will then have 13 days between games before hosting North Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 4 to open ASUN play.
 
Tops Among the ASUN
• Tavian Dunn-Martin is the leading scorer in the ASUN with his 19.5 point per game average. He also ranks third in three-point percentage (.411), second in three-pointers made (3.36), and first in assists per game (5.0). His 34 points at Loyola Chicago stands as the second-best individual performance by any ASUN player this year.
• Kevin Samuel leads the ASUN in blocked shots (3.00) and rebounding (8.6).
• Cyrus Largie leads the league in total steals (23) and is second in steals per game (1.92).
  • Tavian Dunn-Martin earned his second ASUN Player of the Week honor this season after averaging 27.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in two wins on the road at Florida A&M and Robert Morris. He did most of his damage from behind the arc as he shot 14-29 from distance in the two games.
• Opening the week against the Rattlers, Dunn-Martin scored 23 points while dishing out six assists and grabbing seven rebounds. He followed that up with a 31-point, 12-assist effort at Robert Morris where he was 9-of-18 from deep. The 31 points marked his second 30-point game of the season, while his 12 assists were just one shy of his career high and his nine three pointers tied his career high and were the third-most for a single game in program history. He also finished the week with an impressive 2.3 assist to turnover ratio.
 
Dunn-Martin Goes Over 1,000 Career Points
• Tavian Dunn-Martin hit the 1,000 career point plateau in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne with 27 points on the night. He did the bulk of his scoring in his three years at Duquesne with a total of 738 points. He also scored 145 points in 2016-17 during his true freshman year at Akron.
• He enters the RMU game with 1,066 points in his career spanning 126 total games.
 
Samuel Making an Impact
• Kevin Samuel has made an instant impact on FGCU and is averaging nearly a double-double on the year with 10.5 points and 8.6 rebounds. He already has 33 blocked shots this year giving him 239 for his career. His is the fourth-leading active career shot blocker and is one block behind Osun Osunniyi of St. Bonaventure.
• His 3.0 blocks per game would smash the FGCU single season record of 1.9 which was set by Brian Thomas in 2018-19. With 33 total blocks through 11 games, he is five away from cracking the top-10 for a single season and over halfway to surpassing the single season record of 51 blocks set by Kyle Marks in 2008-09.
• On top of his defense, he has been an efficient scorer shooting 72.5 percent from the field including 18-of-24 the last three outings. He has three double-doubles on the year including his most recent 18 points, 12 rebounds in the win at Robert Morris.
• The TCU transfer was selected as the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and as a member of the league's preseason all-conference team.
• He 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, the 6-foot-11, 255 pound center started all 95 career games of his career and set the school record for blocked shots with 206 in three years. For his career prior to FGCU, he averaged 8.8 points and 7.7 rebounds while leading the Big 12 in blocks twice.
• 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.
 
Among The Nation's Leaders
• FGCU ranks among the top-15 in several categories nationally this season. The Eagles' 134 made three pointers ranks fourth in the NCAA, while their 365 three-point attempts are also fourth overall. The 11.2 three pointers per game rank 11th nationally
• FGCU ranks 8th in total assists (202) and 12th in total rebounds (462).
• Other notable national rankings include: 18th - total blocks (60), 33rd - total steals (98), and 42nd - blocks per game (5.0).
 
Largie, Samuel Sweep ASUN Awards
• Cyrus Largie was named the ASUN Player of the Week and Kevin Samuel was the ASUN Newcomer of the Week on Monday, Dec. 6. Largie was the second straight Eagle to earn the Player of the Week honor following Tavian Dunn-Martin the week prior.
• Largie averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals in a loss at FIU and overtime win against Dartmouth. Samuel averaged a double-double with 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while adding four blocks and two steals on the week.
 
Hot Shooting Over Thanksgiving Break
• In the three wins of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Invitational, the Eagles shot 49.4 percent from the floor including 44.9 percent from deep. Of the 84 made field goals, 35 came from beyond the arc with Tavian Dunn-Martin knocking down seven and Austin Richie connecting on six. Kevin Samuel led the Eagles in shooting going 17-of-21 (81.0 percent), while Cyrus Largie hit 15-of-29 shots (51.7 percent). On top of his scoring performance which earned him the ASUN Player of the Week honor, Dunn-Martin averaged just over six assists per game highlighted by 13 against Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Second Half Surge Gets FGCU Past Rhode Island
• In a game that saw 10 ties and nine lead changes, it was a pair of Tavian Dunn-Martin free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining the pushed the FGCU men's basketball team past Rhode Island on Tuesday night in Alico Arena. Dunn-Martin finished with a game-high 26 points with four key points in the final 22 seconds as FGCU rallied from an 11-point deficit at halftime with a sensational second half. The graduate transfer from Duquesne scored 18 points in the second half and finished the night 8-of-13 from the floor, a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe, and added two assists. It marked his 10^th career game with 20-or-more points including his season-high 34 points earlier this season at Loyola Chicago.
• Caleb Catto went 4-for-4 from behind the arc as he added 14 points including a pair late in the first half to keep the Eagles close. Senior Kevin Samuel chipped in with five points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Balanced Offense Paces FGCU Over Eckerd
• 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.
 
Dunk City Reunion Sellout
• 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.
 
Dunn-Martin Gets Hot In Debut
• 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 stands as the second-most for a single-game by an ASUN player this year.
• 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.
 
Among The ASUN's Best Defense
• 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).
 
Traveling Through The Portal
• 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.
 
Eagles Return 63% of Scoring From 2020-21
• 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.
  
Individual Tickets, Mini Plans Available
• 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.
 
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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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 198-137 record (.584 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.
 
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