Isaiah Thompson scored all 13 points of his points in the second half as Florida Gulf Coast University fell 86-74 to the University of Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., Monday night.
"That was a great battle," said FGCU head coach
Pat Chambers. "There's things we need to work on. I felt like our guys deserved to be on that floor. Our guys really competed. We didn't hang our heads. [Pitt] would come out and go up 10 or 11, we'd come back and cut it to single digits. I'm proud of the way we competed."
While FGCU (1-2) never led, the Eagles stayed close throughout the game, pulling within five on two occasions late in the second half. The Panthers (3-0) led 73-58, but a 7-0 run capped by a Thompson 3-pointer pulled the Eagles back within seven with 6:07 to go. After a Pitt shot from range stretched the lead back to 11, FGCU continued the momentum as Thompson drained another 3-pointer and
Andre Weir pulled down an offensive rebound and converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to make it a five-point deficit and a 13-3 spurt for the Eagles.
Cyrus Largie would score after two free-throws by Pitt to pull FGCU back within five, but the Panthers would milk the clock dry on the Eagles. The Panthers finished the game by scoring eight of the final nine points for the final margin of victory.
Keeshawn Kellman led FGCU in scoring, piling in 14 in his second consecutive contest. In all, five players scored in double-figures for the Eagles as Weir and
Chase Johnston each netted a dozen and
Zach Anderson tallied 10.
FGCU kept it at a one-possession game for the first 15 minutes, earning its only tie after
Dakota Rivers scored off a Panther turnover to equalize the game at 30-all. The Panthers would answer by scoring 15 of the half's final 20 points to hold a 45-35 lead at the break.
The Eagles will next head for the tropical climate of the U.S. Virgin Islands for the 2023 Paradise Jam. FGCU will play in the final game of Monday's four scheduled contests at 8 p.m. EST (9 p.m. AST) against Missouri State University. Also participating in the tournament are Kent State University, Hampton University, San Jose State University, Abeline Christian University, Fordham University, and Norfolk State University.
