FORT MYERS, Fla. -
Dallion Johnson scored 18 and
Rory Stewart had a career-high 13, but Florida Gulf Coast University dropped a 59-55 decision at the hands of Northeastern University Saturday afternoon at Alico Arena as part of the FGCU MTE.
The Eagles (1-5) scored the game's first seven points, but after a timeout the Huskies (5-1) started to clamp down defensively. NU took its first lead of the game at 17-16, then built it up to 10 as a 13-0 run ended with the guests up 26-16.
FGCU would return the favor defensively. The Eagles would hold Northeastern scoreless over the final 6:43 of the half. As Johnson completed an old-fashioned 3-point play with 3.3 on the clock, the Green and Blue held a 27-26 lead thanks to an 11-0 run.
The second half would be a back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands seven times over the course of 20 minutes. Northeastern would build its largest lead of the second half with 9:43 to go as the guests led 46-39. But behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Stewart, the Eagles would embark on an 11-3 run. The spurt was capped when
Rahmir Barno powered into the lane for a layup to give FGCU a 50-49 lead with 5:24 left.
That would be the last lead of the afternoon for the Eagles. The Huskies would score the next five points to regain the lead by four, 54-50. After the NU lead hit five, Stewart would pull FGCU back within a bucket at 57-55 with 1:43 left. Both teams would have empty possessions until ultimately Northeastern scored with 28 seconds to go to close the scoring.
Stewart also tied his career-high in rebounds with eight. As a team, the Eagles would out-rebound the Huskies 37-35, including an 11-7 advantage on the offensive glass. FGCU hit 10 3-pointers, compared to just seven for the guests. The Eagles also had 16 assists on 20 made shots as a team, with
Jevin Muniz leading the way with four.
The Eagles will wrap up play in the FGCU MTE Sunday at 3 p.m. against cross-coast rival FIU. Tickets are available by visiting
FGCUTickets.com.
