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DeLAND, Fla. – The FGCU men's basketball team (16-11 overall, 6-8 ASUN Conference) has another chance to solidify its postseason future Wednesday night on the road against the Stetson Hatters. Tip-off from the J. Ollie Edmunds Center is set for 7 p.m., and the game is available to view on ESPN+.
The Green & Blue is on a two-game winning streak, and is within sight of clinching an ASUN Tournament berth. Tied with Queens (N.C.) and North Florida for eighth in the conference standings, an FGCU victory at the end of the current three-game road trip would further its' chances to lock down one of the 10 spots in the tournament.
FGCU leads the all-time series against Stetson 24-10, including both games in the 2021-22 series. The Eagles downed the Hatters 93-91 in overtime on Jan. 18, 2022, in DeLand, and they outlasted the Hatters again 89-82 in OT at Alico Arena on Feb. 12, 2022.
Stetson (14-11, 9-5) is coming off a 92-81 loss at North Florida on Saturday, the most points the Hatters have allowed any opponent this season. Sophomore guard Jalen Blackmon led the way with 18 points, while junior guard Stephan Swenson delivered 15 points and graduate guard Sam Peek added 13 points. Senior guard/forward Wheza Panzo snared seven rebounds and senior forward/center Mahamadou Diawara added six boards.
Blackmon leads the Hatters in scoring at 14.4 points per game, and Swenson adds 10.1 points per outing. Junior forward Josh Smith pulls down a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. Stetson ranks third in the ASUN offensively, scoring 75.9 points per game. The Hatters defense ranks ninth, allowing 72.5 points per contest.
FGCU earned a Duval County sweep Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 62-51 victory at Jacksonville. The Green & Blue reeled off a game-ending 12-0 run to clinch the win – the second in three days after nipping North Florida 68-66. Jacksonville's 51 points tied for the lowest by an FGCU opponent in the 2022-23 season (Jacksonville State fell to FGCU 55-51 on Jan. 19).
Junior guard
Isaiah Thompson (
Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) led all scorers with 20 points – his fifth 20-point effort in the Eagles' last six games. Thompson, who is fourth in the ASUN with an 86.1 free-throw percentage, was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Sophomore forward
Zach Anderson (
Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds, tying for the team lead in boards with graduate guard
Caleb Catto (
Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy). Sophomore center
Andre Weir (
Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) added 10 points.
Thompson leads FGCU at 14.6 points per game, with Anderson at 12.4 points and Johnston at 11.6 points per outing. Anderson is second in the ASUN at 7.2 rebounds per game, and Weir is fourth at 6.8 rebounds per contest. The Eagles are 10
th in the conference offensively at 71.0 points per game, and rank fourth defensively at 68.7 points per outing.
FGCU returns home to take on the Hatters again at 6 p.m. Saturday at Alico Arena as part of homecoming festivities. The Eagles will be celebrating Senior Night, and Saturday is also Military Appreciation Night in The Nest.
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 206 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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