FGCU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 14	FGCU (10-3) vs. Canisius (3-9)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Dec. 22 // 7:00 p.m.
Location	Buffalo, N.Y. // Koessler Athletic Center
Live Statistics	Sidearm Live Stats
Watch Online	ESPN3
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. – Coming off a thrilling come-from-behind 67-55 win over former ASUN rival Mercer, the FGCU men's basketball teams will close out the non-conference slate on Wednesday night at Canisius. The game is set for a 7 PM tip and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
The Eagles have not only won their last four games, but the Green and Blue have also won nine of their last 10. The 10-3 start to the year is the second-best all-time in program history and the best in the team's NCAA Division I era. All-time, the best start in program history was a 14-0 start by the 2003-04 squad. A win against the Griffs would tie the program's Division I era record for most non-conference wins in a season matching the 2016-17 squad (11-5 non-conference record).
 
On Sunday, the Eagles used a hot shooting second half to erase a 12-point deficit in the win over Mercer. Tavian Dunn-Martin, the ASUN's leading scorer, had a double-double with 20 points and 12 assists, while Kevin Samuel, the league's top defensive player, had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cyrus Largie added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Matt Halvorsen had 11 points thanks to three key triples.
 
Through 13 games this year, FGCU is averaging 77.7 points while giving up 68.8 per game. The Eagles have solid shooting numbers at 45.6 percent from the floor and 36.3 percent from deep. FGCU ranks second in the league in scoring, fourth in scoring margin (+8.9), and second in three pointers made (142/10.9/game), while leading the league in blocked shots (63, 4.8/game) and total assists (223, 17.2/game) and ranking second in rebounding (502, 38.62/game).
 
The Green and Blue is led by Dunn-Martin and Largie who are averaging 19.5 and 13.1 points per game, respectively. Samuel is averaging just under a double-double with 10.5 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds, while adding 35 blocks.
 
Along with his scoring, Dunn-Martin also leads the Eagles in assists with 5.6 per game. He is the top three-point shooter for FGCU at .418 followed just behind by Caleb Catto (.377). Samuel is the overall field goal percentage leader at 70.5 percent from the floor.
 
The Griffs are 3-9 on the year after snapping a five-game losing skid with a 65-64 win over Buffalo on Saturday. Canisius is averaging 69 points a game while giving up 73 points. Overall, they are hitting 38.5 percent of their shot attempts including a 30.8 percent clip from beyond the arc.
 
Malek Green leads Canisius averaging 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Armon Harried is second on the team with a 12.4 point average, while Jordan Henderson rounds out the leaders at 8.8 points per night. • This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
  • FGCU enters the weekend ranked No. 142 in the NCAA RPI/NET Rankings – over 140 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. 125 followed by Liberty (No. 128), and Jacksonville State (No. 164).
  • 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 (.418), second in three-pointers made (3.42), and first in assists per game (5.6). His 34 points at Loyola Chicago stands as the third-best individual performance by any ASUN player this year.
• Kevin Samuel leads the ASUN in blocked shots (2.92) and rebounding (8.8).
• Cyrus Largie leads the league in total steals (24) and is third in steals per game (1.85).
  • FGCU ranks among the top-15 in several categories nationally this season. The Eagles' 142 made three pointers ranks fifth in the NCAA, while their 391 three-point attempts are also fifth overall. The 10.9 three pointers per game rank 11th nationally
• FGCU ranks 5th in total assists (223) and 11th in total rebounds (502).
• Other notable national rankings include: 22nd - total blocks (63), 28th - total steals (106), and 49th - blocks per game (4.8).
  • Kevin Samuel has made an instant impact on FGCU and is averaging nearly a double-double on the year with 10.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. He already has 35 blocked shots this year giving him 241 for his career. His is the fourth-leading active career shot blocker and is three behind Osun Osunniyi of St. Bonaventure.
• His 2.9 blocks per game would smash the FGCU single season record of 1.9 which was set by Brian Thomas in 2018-19. With 35 total blocks through 13 games, he is three away from cracking the top-10 for a single season and is on track 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 70.5 percent from the field including 23-of-33 the last four outings. He has four double-doubles on the year including his most recent 11 points, 10 rebounds in the win over Mercer.
• 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. • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 10th 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.
  • Six players, led by 15 points from both Dakota Rivers and Zach Anderson, 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 scored in double-digits making it the first time since the Eagles' 103-70 win over North Florida on Jan. 29, 2018.
  • 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 during the nationally televised game.
• It marked the first time in program history that a Top 25-ranked opponent had visited Alico Arena in the Division I era.
• The 2012-13 Eagles are regarded as one of the most nationally iconic programs in the history of March Madness, as FGCU captured the country's attention. Those three March games in 2013 launched FGCU into celebrity status with the program even earning an ESPY for Best Upset of the Year, which highlighted the NCAA win over second-seed Georgetown. FGCU finished the year ranked No. 25 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll and the moniker Dunk City had been established as a household name in the basketball world.
  • Guard Tavian Dunn-Martin certainly made a splash in his FGCU debut 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.
 
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.

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 199-137 record (.585 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--