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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team (15-11 overall, 5-8 ASUN Conference) aims to build on Thursday night's clutch performance against another conference foe, taking on Jacksonville at 4 p.m. Saturday at Swisher Gymnasium. The game is available to view on ESPN+.
 
The Eagles snapped their five-game losing streak at the most opportune time Thursday across town against North Florida, earning a 68-66 victory to complete a season sweep of the Ospreys. After four losses of four points or less in its last five games, FGCU got the clutch basket when it was needed when junior forward Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) banked in an improbable corner 3 with 12.9 seconds remaining.
 
Saturday is another critical game for FGCU's postseason chances. Jacksonville is 12-12 overall and 5-8 in the ASUN, and a victory over the Dolphins would put the Eagles in prime position to earn one of the 10 spots in the ASUN Tournament just over two weeks away.
 
Jacksonville is mired in a three-game losing streak, having dropped consecutive games to North Florida and then a 70-67 home decision to Stetson on Thursday. Graduate guard Jordan Davis led the way with a game- and season-high 20 points – going 7-for-9 from the field and making all three 3-point attempts. Redshirt junior forward Mike Marsh notched a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Redshirt senior guard Kevion Nolan leads Jacksonville with 13.1 points per game, and redshirt senior forward Osayi Osifo hauls down a team-best 5.9 rebounds per outing. The Dolphins are the worst offensive team in the ASUN, averaging just 64.8 points per game (No. 324 in the country). But Jacksonville trails only Liberty (58.5) by allowing just 63.2 points per outing – which ranks 28^th nationally.
 
FGCU leads the all-time series against Jacksonville 18-12, which includes a 72-65 decision on Dec. 31, 2022, at Alico Arena. The Eagles rallied to overcome an 18-point second-half deficit to stun the Dolphins in both teams' ASUN opener.
 
Rivers' clutch triple was the exclamation point on his team- and career-high 13-point night against North Florida – an outing that saw him go 5-for-6 from the floor to go with two assists. Rivers scored 11 of his points in a second half that saw the Eagles shoot 58.3 percent in the final 20 minutes.
 
Graduate guard Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Florida Christian Academy) delivered 12 points, junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) scored 11 points and sophomore forward Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Junior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) leads FGCU at 14.3 points per game, Anderson delivers 12.5 and Johnston chips in 12.1 per outing. Anderson grabs a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game (good for second in the ASUN), and sophomore center Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) is fifth in the conference at 6.8 rebounds per game.
FGCU ranks 10^th in the ASUN by scoring 71.3 points per game, and is sixth in the conference defensively by allowing 69.3 points per outing.
 
The Green & Blue complete its three-game road trip Wednesday by taking on Stetson at 7 p.m.
 
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 205 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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