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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Despite erasing a 22-point second-half deficit to pull even with Lipscomb on Wednesday, the FGCU men's basketball team (16-14 overall, 6-11 ASUN Conference) ultimately fell short of the Bisons 73-64 at Alico Arena.
 
The loss didn't alter FGCU's postseason fate, as Jacksonville also lost to Bellarmine earlier Wednesday – meaning the Green & Blue will advance to next week's ASUN Tournament with either a victory Friday against Austin Peay or a Dolphins loss to visiting Eastern Kentucky.
 
Junior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) once again led the Eagles in scoring, dropping 15 points to go with four assists and two steals. Graduate guard Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) and junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) each added 13 points. Catto dished five assists and collected four steals – both team highs.
 
"We just can't spot teams 22-point leads. The kids are trying, they're playing their hearts out," said FGCU head men's basketball coach Pat Chambers. "I am proud of our guys for battling back. We are so close, so close. The guys are toughing it out for each other and their brothers, and we have still have a chance. Keep coming out, because we have one more Friday to see what we can do."
 
FGCU equaled its lowest-scoring first half of the season (Bellarmine, 1-14-23) Wednesday, shooting just 9-for-39 from the field and 2-0f-19 from beyond the arc for 21 points. The Eagles defense didn't allow Lipscomb (18-12, 10-7)  to pull too far away, however, allowing just 33 points to trail by 12 at halftime.
 
The Green & Blue would go down by 22 points with 17:13 to play before touching off a 13-0 run capped by a Thompson 3 to make it 48-39 with 11:59 remaining.
 
A Catto 3 punctuated a 9-2 FGCU flurry made it 52-48 with 9:18 remaining, sophomore center Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) would muscle for a layup with 8:37 remaining to make it 52-50, and Catto ignited The Nest's faithful with a 3 to make it 54-53 with 8:01 to go.
 
Lipscomb would build a seven-point lead with 4:23 remaining, only to see FGCU rally yet again – as Thompson nailed another 3, drove inside for 2 more and then calmly made two free throws for a one-man 7-0 scoring run that knotted it 62-62 with 2:47 to play.
 
But the Eagles offense would run out of steam after that, mustering only two points in the remaining 2:47 – and Lipscomb closing with an 8-0 run for the final margin.
 
Sophomore forward Jacob Ognacevic led the Bisons with 21 points, while graduate center Ahsan Abdullah scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Lipscomb outrebounded FGCU 47-32, which helped overcome an 18 turnovers to FGCU's nine.

FGCU's regular-season finale is set for 7 p.m. Friday against Austin Peay. It will be Fan Appreciation Night at Alico Arena.

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.  
 
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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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