Box score | Updated FGCU stats

STATESBORO, Ga. – The FGCU men's basketball team (6-2) shot 53.6 percent in the second half and held Georgia Southern to only 53 total points for a 70-53 key non-conference road win at Hanner Fieldhouse Wednesday night. Senior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) scored a game-high 17 points as four Eagles reached double figures. Junior forward Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) was the game's top rebounder with seven.
 
"One of my brothers always says: 'defense travels,'" said FGCU head men's basketball coach Pat Chambers. "You can always rely on defending, rebounding, and playing hard together. You never know if you'll make or miss shots, you never know if the whistles will go against you. If defense is our identity – so far, so good." 
 
In its six wins, FGCU has held its opponents to 61 points or less, with Georgia Southern's 53 the lowest total so far. The FGCU victory snapped Georgia Southern's three-game winning streak and gave the Green & Blue a two-game win streak in the series between the two Eagle programs.
 
Graduate guard Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) had six points early in the game and added seven in the second half for 13 total. Anderson scored 11 points and senior forward Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) came off the bench and scored eight of his 10 points in the second half.
 
Rivers, junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) and Franco Miller (Freeport, Bahamas/Crestwood Prep/Ole Miss) combined for 22 points off the bench while Georgia Southern's bench went scoreless. Miller's triple in the first half helped give FGCU some separation as it built a double-digit lead.
 
Seven turnovers by FGCU in the first half and a 9-0 run by Georgia Southern whittled a 24-11 lead to only four, with less than five minutes remaining. A layup by Anderson and free throws by Thompson put FGCU up by eight, but Georgia Southern's Kamari Brown connected on a free throw and hit a 3-pointer 20 seconds before the intermission for an uncomfortable four-point margin, 28-24.
 
Jalen Finch led Sun Belt-member Georgia Southern (4-4) with 16 points, 12 coming in the second half, and Kaden Archie added 13 before fouling out. 
 
Both teams had their largest scoring runs in the first half. FGCU led for all but 5:37 of the game and committed only three turnovers in the second half after seven miscues in the first 20 minutes. Georgia Southern's largest scoring run was five points in the second half and it closed the scoring gap to single digits three times after the under-8 media timeout, but got no closer than seven points. FGCU ended the game with a 9-1 run for the 70-53 final.
 
The Eagles turned it on from deep in the second half, with Johnston hitting three of FGCU's six treys in the period. Thompson had three treys in the first half. FGCU finished with 10 3-pointers on the night.
 
"Chase hit some big ones in the second half," Chambers said. "Caleb Catto was phenomenal on both sides of the floor. I was proud of Dakota, too, and he and Sam Onu (10 minutes off the bench) did a great job." 
 
Johnston added another steal to his ASUN-leading total, now 18, while Thompson tied his career best with three steals.
 
In the wake of winning the Gulf Coast Showcase, FGCU was recognized as one of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy's Top 3 Upward Risers since opening day – and got another bump up to No. 144 after the Eagles picked up the win at Georgia Southern.
 
FGCU returns to Alico Arena at 6 p.m. Sunday against FIU with the game available for viewing on ESPN+. The FGCU women's basketball team plays Ave Maria at home at 3 p.m. Sunday, and at halftime of the men's game, the women's team will be presented with rings to commemorate their 2021-22 ASUN Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. 
 
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.  
 
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS, MINI PLANS AVAILABLE
Tickets for the 2022-23 FGCU Basketball season 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 people – making a memorable evening for families, businesses, or other organizations.
 
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 CHAMBERS
Pat Chambers was officially introduced as the fifth FGCU men's basketball head coach in March 2022 bringing a wealth of experience in college basketball highlighted by head coaching stints at Penn State and Boston University. Chambers spent nine years leading the Penn State (2011-20) program and two years as head coach at Boston University (2009-11). He has 196 career victories in that span including four 20-plus win seasons. Part of his career as a head coach was highlighted by leading the Nittany Lions to a No. 9 national ranking in 2019-20 which tied the program's best-ever ranking set in 1996. Prior to becoming a head coach, he spent five seasons as part of the Villanova staff helping the Wildcats to a Final Four (2009), two Elite Eight, and three Sweet Sixteen appearances during his tenure.
 
#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 93 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 46 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
 
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