JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite erasing a 14-point deficit in the second half, the FGCU men's basketball team fell 70-64 on Saturday night to North Florida at UNF Arena. The Eagles fall to 18-10 overall and 8-6 in league play with the loss snapping a five-game win streak, while the Ospreys improved to 10-18 overall and 6-8 in league play. UNF extended its win streak to three games including one over East Division leader Liberty.
 
"I thought it was a very physical game and we responded to that better in the second half. We definitely played good enough defensively to win the game, but unfortunately, we didn't shoot well at the free throw line or beyond the arc and that hurt us," said head coach Michael Fly. "If some of those shots go down like they normally do, I think it's a different outcome than what we had. I thought the effort on the defensive side and in how we rebounded allowed us to climb back into the game and gave us a chance."
 
The Eagles and Ospreys, two of the top three point shooting teams in the conference, both hit just six triples each in the game. UNF hit 14-of-20 from the free throw line, while FGCU was 8-of-16. The Ospreys also held a 19-to-7 advantage in points off turnovers despite both teams just having 12 miscues each in the game.
 
The Eagles were led by Kevin Samuel who had his 13^th double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tavian Dunn-Martin, was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine assists. Austin Richie, who made his third consecutive start, hit four of the Eagles six three pointers to finish with 12 points. Andre Weir tied his season-high with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in just nine total minutes.
 
Jadyn Parker led the Ospreys with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting while adding 10 rebounds. Jarius Hicklen notched 13 points, while Jordan Preaster and Jonathan Aybar each had 10 points.
 
UNF closed the first half on a 14-to-5 run over the last five minutes to hold a 38-26 advantage at the intermission.
 
Dorian James hit a jumper just over a minute into the second half to give UNF its largest lead of the night, 40-26.
 
Over the next 11 minutes, FGCU was able to battle back to cut the deficit before a six-point stretch capped off by dunks from Caleb Catto and Samuel tied the game at 50-50 with 7:18 to go.
 
A three-pointer by Dunn-Martin 30 seconds later put the Eagles ahead, but the lead was short lived. After UNF went back ahead on a three pointer, a lay-up from Samuel tied the game 55-55. The Ospreys pushed the lead back to six twice including 66-60 with 35 seconds remaining.
 
Weir then had a lay-up followed by a dunk after a UNF turnover to pull the Eagles back within a possession, 66-64, with 11 seconds to go, but the Ospreys hit two free throws after being fouled on the ensuing inbounds play. Catto had a chance at a three-pointer, but missed and UNF hit two more free throws to give the final score.
 
FGCU will remain on the road next Thursday when the Green and Blue head to Liberty on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The opening tip is set for 7 PM on ESPN+. The Eagles are currently in third in the ASUN East Division, while Liberty leads the division.
 
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 has helped FGCU to a 206-142 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).
 
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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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