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Game Notes: FGCU vs. Liberty
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Season Stats: FGCU | Liberty
ASUN: Standings | Scoreboard
 
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The FGCU men's basketball team (14-8 overall, 4-5 ASUN Conference) takes on arguably its toughest conference foe of the 2022-23 season Saturday night, ending a road trip by taking on ASUN-leading Liberty at 7 p.m. at Liberty Arena. The game is available to view on ESPN+.
 
The Flames (17-5, 8-1) are tied with Kennesaw State atop the ASUN standings, and have won five straight games. Liberty is also 12-1 at home in Liberty Arena this season, falling only to Southern Miss 76-72 on Nov. 18. Eastern Kentucky is the lone team to solve the Flames, earning a 62-59 victory in Richmond, Ky., on Jan. 8.
 
Liberty is fresh off a 74-45 destruction of visiting Stetson on Thursday night. The Flames owned a 46-22 advantage in points in the paint, and saw five players score in double figures. Liberty's defense held Stetson to season lows in points (45) and 3-point field goals (3), and the Hatters finished almost 32 points below its season scoring average (76.8 ppg).
 
Redshirt senior guard Darius McGhee led the way with 15 points, while senior forward Kyle Rode went for 14 points, senior forward Shiloh Robinson had 13 points and sophomore guard Brody Peebles chipped in 13 points.
 
McGhee leads both Liberty and the ASUN with 20.9 points per game (16^th nationally), and sophomore guard Joseph Venzant pulls down a team-best 5.4 rebounds per outing. Liberty owns the conference's best defense, giving up just 57.9 points per game (good for sixth in the country), and is eighth in the ASUN in scoring offense at 74.7 points per game.
 
Although FGCU has lost four of its last five games and is just 4-7 on the road this season, Thursday's 84-82 loss to Queens (N.C.) offered plenty of highlights. Junior forward Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) delivered his sixth double-double of the season against the Royals, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  
 
Sophomore center Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) also turned in a dazzling performance against Queens, tying his career high with 22 points along with five rebounds. Senior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) dropped 20 points, including making a game-high six 3-pointers on 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Thompson leads the Eagles at 13.4 points per game, while Anderson delivers 12.8 points per outing and junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) adds 11.4 points per game. Anderson leads the Green & Blue, and is second in the ASUN, at 7.8 rebounds per game. Weir is fourth in the conference at 7.1 boards per outing.
 
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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