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DeLAND, Fla. – Despite another 20-point performance from junior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue), the FGCU men's basketball team (16-12 overall, 6-9 ASUN Conference) dropped a 75-72 road decision to Stetson on Thursday night at the J. Ollie Edmunds Center.
 
The Green & Blue saw its two-game winning streak snapped, but has a chance to avenge the narrow loss Saturday night at 6 p.m. when the Hatters (15-11, 10-5) make the return trip to Alico Arena. FGCU sits 10^th in the conference rankings, which would qualify for the final entry into the 10-team ASUN Tournament.
 
Thompson's 20-point effort was his sixth in FGCU's last seven games. He added a team-high seven assists and nicked two steals. Junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) dropped 17 points, including a team-high three 3-pointers, to go with four rebounds in his fifth start of the season. Junior forward Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) went for a career-high 15 points along with three rebounds.

"We are battling, and have three home games to finish," said FGCU head men's basketball coach Pat Chambers. "We are going to keep getting better, and be the best team we can be by the end of the year!"
 
Stetson was paced by junior guard Stephan Swenson's 23 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Jalen Blackmon dropped 15 points, and junior forward Josh Smith added 10 points.
 
Thompson twice pushed FGCU out to two-possession leads in a tightly contested first half, canning a 3 at the 7:45 mark to make it 20-15 and then draining another triple with 4:52 to play for a 28-22 lead. A three-point play from junior guard Dahmir Bishop (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter/Xavier/St. Joseph's) and a Rivers inside bucket afforded the Green & Blue a 35-26 lead with 1:29 remaining in the first half, though Blackmon nailed a 3 near the first-half horn to send FGCU to halftime leading 35-29.
 
That advantage evaporated early in the second half, as Stetson reeled off a 15-2 run to open the period and grab a 44-37 lead. The Hatters would expand that lead later in the half to nine points – 63-54 – with 7:01 to play.
 
FGCU didn't quit, however, as Johnston got hot – scoring seven straight points in 46 seconds to make it 73-70 with 2:47 to go. Thompson then added two free throws with 1:26 remaining to make it 75-72, and FGCU got a defensive stop with less than 10 seconds to go – only to see a game-tying 3 attempt get blocked at the buzzer.
 
The Green & Blue forced 12 Stetson turnovers, nine of which came in the first half, but was outrebounded 33-28. Each team made seven 3-pointers. There were four ties and seven lead changes – all of which occurred in the first 20 minutes.

FGCU plays the final three games of the 2022-23 regular season at home. Saturday's 6 p.m. tip-off against Stetson is Senior Night in The Nest, and it is also Military Appreciation Night. Lipscomb visits Alico Arena at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22, which is American Heart Association and FGCU Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night. Austin Peay comes to town at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 for Fan Appreciation Night. The ASUN Tournament begins Feb. 27.

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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