FGCU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 25	North Alabama (9-14, 2-8 ASUN) vs. FGCU (15-9, 5-5 ASUN)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Feb. 9 // 7:30 p.m.
Location	Fort Myers, Fla. // Alico Arena
Live Statistics	Statbroadcast Live Stats
Watch Online	ESPN+
ASUN Notes	ASUN Standings // ASUN Scoreboard // ASUN Stats
Promotions	Red Out / American Heart Association
Tickets	Next Home Game: Feb. 12 vs. Stetson - Order Online // 866-FGCU-TIX
Twitter	@FGCU_MBB // @FGCUEagles
Instagram	FGCU Men's Basketball
Facebook	FGCU Men's Basketball

  
FORT MYERS, Fla. – After picking up a pair of road wins last week, FGCU returns home to close out the cross-divisional portion of the ASUN schedule tonight against North Alabama. The Eagles will remain home and return to East Division play on Saturday as well against Stetson as part of a three-game home stand.
 
The game will be part of a doubleheader with the No. 20 women's team who will tipoff against the Lions at 5:00 PM. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
The Eagles currently sit third in the East Division standings, while North Alabama is last in the West Division. The East Division remains a tight race with Jacksonville in second place (6-4) and the Eagles tied with Kennesaw State (5-5). Stetson is just behind in fifth place with a 4-6 league record, while UNF is sixth (3-7).
 
Through 24 games this year, FGCU is averaging 76.8 points while giving up 73.3 per game. The Eagles have solid shooting numbers at 44.7 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from deep. FGCU ranks second in the league in scoring, sixth in scoring margin (+3.5), second in three pointers made (10.5/game) and assists (393, 16.4/game), while leading the league in rebounds (924, 38.5/game) and blocked shots (113, 4.7/game).
 
The Green and Blue is led by Tavian Dunn-Martin and Kevin Samuel who are averaging 19.8 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Samuel is averaging a double-double with a team-best 10.0 rebounds, while adding 69 blocks. He has already set the single-season record for blocked shots surpassing Kyle Marks (2008-09) who previously held it with 51. Cyrus Largie is the third leading scorer on the team at 11.1 points while adding 4.8 rebounds.
 
Along with his scoring, Dunn-Martin also leads the Eagles and the ASUN in assists with 5.9 per game which ranks 16th nationally. Dunn-Martin and Caleb Catto are the top three-point shooter (players with more than 75 attempts) at .367 and .364, respectively. Samuel is the overall field goal percentage leader at 64.9 percent from the floor which ranks fourth nationally. His 3.0 blocks per game also ranks 12th nationally while his 11 double-doubles this season are also 12th in the NCAA.
 
North Alabama has lost two straight and six of its last seven coming into the match-up. The Lions lone win in that stretch was a 71-58 decision at Kennesaw State.
 
UNA is averaging 69.9 points per game while giving up 65.3 per night. Daniel Ortiz and Jamari Blackmon lead the Lions in scoring at 12.0 and 10.3 points, respectively. C.J. Brim is just outside double-figure scoring at 9.6 points. • FGCU is 3-6 all-time against North Alabama though the Eagles have won two of the last three meetings and are 3-2 in the series when played at Alico Arena.
  • After guiding FGCU to a pair of road wins last week, Tavian Dunn-Martin and Kevin Samuel were both honored by the ASUN as the Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, respectively, on Monday.
• Dunn-Martin averaged 28.0 points, 8.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting .400 from the floor and .875 from the free throw line in the two games. In the overtime win at UCA, he had his second double-double of the season with 34 points and 10 assists to become the 3rd Division I player in the last 10 years to post multiple 30-point, 10-assist games in one season (Trae Young, Ja Morant). In the win at Lipscomb, FGCU erased a 14-point halftime deficit to pick up the win with Martin scoring a game-high 22 points with seven rebounds and seven assists - 11 of his points came in the second half during a 17-0 run which put the Eagles up 16 points.
• Samuel averaged a double-double of 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while adding 4.0 blocked shots and shooting 70 percent from the field. In the overtime win at UCA, he scored 19 points, posted nine rebounds, and blocked five shots while going 9-of-12 from the field. He followed that with a 10-point, 14-rebound, 3-blocked shot effort at Lipscomb on Saturday helping the Eagles erase a 14-point halftime deficit for the win.
  • Tavian Dunn-Martin is currently second in the ASUN in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game just behind Liberty's Darius McGhee (22.1). He leads the league in assists (5.9/game, 136), is third in three pointers (3.13/game, 72), and second in total field goals (139). He is one of just four ASUN players with multiple 30-point games this season and the only player with five.
• Kevin Samuel leads the ASUN in blocked shots (3.00), rebounding (10.0), field goal percentage (64.9), and double-doubles (11).
• Cyrus Largie is third in the league in total steals (38) and in steals per game (1.58). • FGCU ranks among the top-15 in several categories nationally this season. The Eagles' 251 made three pointers ranks sixth in the NCAA, while their 718 three-point attempts are also sixth overall. The 10.5 three pointers per game ranks 9th nationally.
• FGCU ranks 13th in total assists (393) and 25th in assists per game (16.4).

Dunn-Martin On Lou Henson Player Of The Year Watch List
• Tavian Dunn-Martin was named to the 2021-22 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award Mid-Season Watch List at the beginning of January. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball. Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast. Dunn-Martin along with Liberty's Darius McGhee were representatives of the ASUN Conference.
• Dunn-Martin joins FGCU standouts Brandon Goodwin who was named to the watch list in 2017-18 and Bernard Thompson who was twice named to the list in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Samuel Making an Impact
• Kevin Samuel has made an instant impact on FGCU and is averaging nearly a double-double on the year with 11.7 points and 9.8 rebounds. He already has 66 blocked shots this year giving him 272 for his career. His is the third-leading active career shot blocker behind the Cincinnati duo of Hayden Koval (358) and Abdul Ado (282).
• His 3.0 blocks per game would smash the FGCU single season record of 1.9 which was set by Brian Thomas in 2018-19. With 66 total blocks through 22 games, he has already set the FGCU single season record of 51 blocks previously set by Kyle Marks in 2008-09. In less than one season, he has also moved into 9th all-time for career blocked shots – he needs 2 more to pass Nate Hicks (67, 2013-15).
• On top of his defense, he has been an efficient scorer shooting 65.0 percent from the field which ranks fifth nationally. He has 10 double-doubles on the year including eight over the last 12 games.
• 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.

Eagles On The Verge of Four 1,000 Point Scorers
• In addition to Tavian Dunn-Martin reaching 1,000 points earlier this year, Matt Halvorsen crossed the milestone during his career at Western Carolina and now has 1,421 through five seasons. Entering the North Alabama game, Dunn-Martin now has 1,339 points in 139 career games.
• Kevin Samuel reached the mark at Kennesaw State and now has 1,091 in 118 career games.
• Caleb Catto is the next Eagle approaching the milestone as he enters the UNA game with has 972 points in 106 games.

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 204-141 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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