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ASUN: Standings | Scoreboard

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team (13-4, 3-1 ASUN Conference) aim to continue the program's best start in its Division I history Thursday night with another road test, taking on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Richmond, Ky. Tip-off from Baptist Health Arena is set for 7 p.m., and the game is available for viewing on ESPN+.
 
The Eagles have won six of their last seven games, including a 3-1 stretch during the marathon first week of ASUN play. The Green & Blue earned home victories against Jacksonville (72-65) and North Florida (82-57) and an overtime road triumph at Central Arkansas (84-79). A 61-59 setback at Austin Peay is the only blemish that kept FGCU from an undefeated ASUN start. FGCU is currently No. 46 in the College Basketball RPI ratings, and checks in at No. 87 in the NCAA NET rankings.
 
Eastern Kentucky (10-7) is in a similar situation, sitting at 3-1 and just a game behind Stetson in the conference standings. The Colonels handed Liberty its first conference loss Sunday, beating the visiting Flames 62-59. EKU has won two straight and five of its last six games.
 
Junior wing Devontae Blanton has scored in double figures in each of Eastern Kentucky's last five games. During that span, he is averaging 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range. Blanton finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Liberty.
 
Eastern Kentucky leads the ASUN in scoring, popping for 79.7 points per game. But EKY is 12^th out of 14 in scoring defense, allowing 73.5 points per game. Blanton leads the Colonels with 16.2 points per game, while junior forward Michael Moreno adds 12.6 per outing. Senior forward Isiaiah Cozart pulls down a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, with Blanton adding 6.2 boards per outing.
 
FGCU defeated Eastern Kentucky in its only previous meeting, downing the Colonels 77-73 on Jan. 27, 2022, at Alico Arena. EKU moved from the Ohio Valley Conference to the ASUN for the 2021-22 season. Graduate center Kevin Samuel and fifth-year guard Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill./Bloom HS/Northern Illinois/Triton College/Tulsa) each scored 18 points in the victory, with Samuel scoring 16 in the first half and Richie delivering all of his in the game's final 13 minutes. Jomaru Brown led Eastern Kentucky with 20 points, and Curt Lewis added seven points and 12 rebounds.
 
Eagles sophomore center Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) is coming off a stellar week, recording a career-high 22 points against Central Arkansas and the notching his first career double-double – dropping a game-high 18 points and grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds – against North Florida. Weir's nine offensive rebounds were two more than any Ospreys player recorded.
 
The victory was FGCU's 12^th straight at home dating to last season, and sixth straight in The Nest in 2022-23.
 
Senior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) leads the Green & Blue with 13.6 points per game, while junior forward Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) – who has earned two ASUN Player of the Week honors this season – delivers 12.5 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. Junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) adds 11.9 points per game and has nicked a team-best 32 steals this season.
 
FGCU is ninth in the ASUN in scoring offense at 72.9 points per game, and the Eagles are fourth defensively by allowing just 66.3 points per outing.
 
FGCU remains in the Bluegrass State after taking on Eastern Kentucky, heading to Lexington for a road game vs. Bellarmine at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Green & Blue's next home game is Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. against Jacksonville State.
 
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 203 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 (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.    
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 94 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 47 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 and No. 25 in 2022-23) 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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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