FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team (8-6, 3-4 ASUN) had one of its most dominant performances of the 2020-21 season on Friday night at Alico Arena, as the Eagles knocked off North Alabama (10-5, 6-3 ASUN), 86-60. The margin of victory is the second-largest of any other ASUN game this season, falling behind only Liberty's 76-47 win over Kennesaw (Jan. 9).

"I'm proud of the effort tonight, but the biggest message we shared with the team afterwards was that now we need to win two. We've split the last couple of weekends so now we have to put two together," said head coach Michael Fly. "North Alabama is a really good program; they weren't themselves completely tonight but we know they will be coming with more intensity tomorrow."

Five different members of the Green & Blue poured in double-digit points, led by 16 from senior Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario/Eastern Florida State) who also added five assists. Graduate student Eli Abaev (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Zion Lutheran HS/Eastern Florida State/Austin Peay) notched his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy) and junior Dom London (Christiana, Pa./Octorora HS/Harcum College) chipped in 12 each, while junior Caleb Cattos' (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Christian Academy) 10 rounded out the top scorers.

The Eagles dominated the pace of play in the opening half, leading for the entire 20 minutes. After kicking things off with a 6-0 run, FGCU forced North Alabama to take its first timeout of the game just four minutes into the action. Following the brief pause, the Lions chipped away at the home team's advantage and cut it to as little as five.

In response to the visitors' push, sophomore Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) stuffed a shot that would have brought the Lions within a single possession and then finished up the play on the other end with a dunk. Rivers' basket kicked off what went on to be a 17-1 run for FGCU, allowing the Green & Blue to extend the lead to 39-15 with less than four minutes to go.

Though UNA tried to regain its composure as the clock wound down on the first half, the Eagles kept their foot on the gas and forced the Lions to turn the ball over on each of their final three possessions. On one of the miscues, freshman Zach Anderson (Orlando, Fla./Apopka HS) slammed down a dunk of his own that handed FGCU its 43-23 lead as the teams went into the locker room for the break.

The teams traded back-and-forth baskets coming out of the intermission, until FGCU used a 7-0 run to go up by nearly 30. With just 12 minutes to go, the Eagles sat comfortably at 60-34, thanks to a nearly three-minute scoring drought from the Lions.

After a hot, 5-of-5 shooting spurt for the Green & Blue, the team's offense quieted down a little. Despite a three-minute cold period for the Eagles, the Lions were unable to touch FGCU's rock-solid advantage. Though UNA closed out the night with a 6-0 run, FGCU held on for its eventual 86-60 win to hand UNA its second-consecutive loss.

In addition to the excitement from the win, multiple Eagles finished their night with career-highs. Freshman Victor Rosa's (Naranjito, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy) seven points are the best of his FGCU career so far, as were Abaev's 14. As a team, FGCU finished its night with a season-high 57 boards, an effort that was boosted by a season-best 43 defensive rebounds.

Mervin James led the Lions as the only player to score in double figures with 13 points, while also adding seven rebounds. Emanuel Littles fell just shy of a double-double with 8 points and nine rebounds.

The two teams will reconvene at Alico Arena tomorrow at 7 p.m. for game two of the weekend matchup. During the clash, which will be aired on ESPN+, FGCU will be looking for its second-consecutive win over the Lions, a first-time feat in the history between the sides.

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.

ASUN Schedule & Results
Friday, Feb. 5
Liberty 90, Lancaster Bible 49
Stetson 73, Lipscomb 68
FGCU 86, North Alabama 60
Bellarmine 71, Jacksonville 56
 
Saturday, Feb. 6
Jacksonville at Bellarmine – 5 PM
Lipscomb at Stetson – 5 PM
North Alabama at FGCU – 7 PM
 
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 172-114 record (.601 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).

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!
 
#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 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) 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 (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. 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--