DELAND, Fla. – A 30-point performance by Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington HS/Akron/Duquesne) coupled with a 9-of-10 effort at the charity stripe in the bonus session led the FGCU men's basketball team to a 93-91 win at Stetson on Tuesday night at the Edmunds Center. The win improved the Eagles to 12-7 overall and 2-3 in ASUN play, while the Hatters fell to 7-11 overall and 1-4 in league action.
 
"I'm proud of the way the guys continued to fight throughout the game," said head coach Michael Fly. "We weren't happy about giving up the lead, but the teams in this league are all capable of scoring in bunches. I thought we were able to handle that and find ways to make big plays when they counted the most."
 
Dunn-Martin had a game-high 30 points, his fourth of the season, as the guard shot 8-of-17 overall from the floor including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc while also hitting 8-of-9 free throws. He added seven assists and three steals in the win which snapped a three-game skid for the Green and Blue.
 
Kevin Samuel [Codrington Village, Barbuda/Redemption HS (Texas)/TCU] set the FGCU single-season blocked shots record after recording three in the game to give him 52 on the year. He passed Kyle Marks who has held the record since 2008-09 when he swatted 51 shots.  Samuel finished the game with eight points and 10 rebounds as well.
 
Along with Dunn-Martin and Samuel's performances, the Eagles had a total of nine different players score in the game. Matt Halvorsen (Kingsport, Tenn./Christ School/Western Carolina) notched 13 points thanks to four three pointers in the first half, while Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) and Luis Rolon (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy) each had nine.
 
The Hatters had five players in double figures led by 22 points from Alvin Tumblin. Josh Smith scored 18 points, while Stephan Swenson had 16 points. Christiaan Jones posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Chase Johnston also had 14 points.
 
Overall, FGCU shot 47 percent from the floor going 31-of-66 and hit 15-of-34 three pointers. The Eagles finished game 16-of-26 from the charity stripe highlighted by the 90 percent shooting effort in overtime.
 
FGCU used a big shooting first half to build out a 47-32 lead at the break thanks in part to a half court heave at the buzzer by Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill./Don Bosco Institute/Triton College/Tulsa). Overall, FGCU hit 11-of-20 from beyond the arc and had an 18-to-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Including Richie's half-court shot, the Eagles finished the first half hitting four triples, including three by Halvorsen, as part of a 12-to-3 run to close the period.
 
The Hatters cut the down throughout the course of the second half pulling within one, 66-65, after a Christian Jones layup with 6:58 to go. Stetson put together a 12-to-4 run highlighted by a pair of three pointers as they closed the gap.
 
A triple by Anderson coming out of the next media timeout kicked off a 9-to-2 run for the Eagles to re-extend their lead to 75-67 over the next two minutes.
 
From there, Stetson found its range again going on a 13-to-3 run of its own with triples by Alivin Tumblin, Chase Johnston, and Stephan Swenson to tie the game before Tumblin scored to give the Hatters an 80-78 lead with 1:30 remaining. A Tumblin dunk 50 seconds later extended the lead to four.
 
The Eagles answered with a dunk by Samuel with 31 seconds to go before an offensive foul on the Hatters' ensuing inbounds play gave the ball back to FGCU. Dunn-Martin was able to drive the lane to dump the ball to Samuel who tied the game with 19 seconds left in regulation.
 
Stetson missed a three-pointer at the buzzer forcing the overtime session.
 
In the overtime period, FGCU hit eight free throws to go up 92-89 with 10 seconds remaining. Stetson hit a pair of free throws on the next possession before fouling Halvorsen who hit one-of-two free throws making it 93-91. Stetson collected the rebound to advance to half court before calling timeout with 4.6 on the clock.
 
Samuel was able to get a piece of the ball on the ensuing inbounds play to disrupt Stetson's timing, but the loose ball landed in Swenson's hands. He got off a quick three point attempt just before the buzzer, but the shot was well off the mark giving the Eagles the win.
 
FGCU will remain on the road this Saturday as the Eagles head to West Division leader Jacksonville State. The game will be a doubleheader with the 21^st-ranked women's team. The women's game is slated for a 2:45 PM tip, while the men will start at 5 PM. Both games 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 201-140 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 87 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 43 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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