FORT MYERS, Fla. - A 40-minute fight went the way of Florida Gulf Coast University Sunday afternoon as
Jevin Muniz's clutch 3-point play helped the Eagles to a 60-59 win over cross-coast rival FIU to end the FGCU MTE at Alico Arena.
"They fought yesterday," said FGCU head coach
Pat Chambers about his team, which dropped a four-point contest to Northeastern Saturday. "You wonder how they're going to fight today. They were so hurt last night in film session. For them to be able to come back shows you the connectivity of this group and the leadership of this staff to get these guys mentally prepared to play this game."
The Eagles (2-5) used a 10-2 run in the second half to take a 48-36 lead with just under 13 minutes to go. FIU would slowly battle back, taking its first lead since the opening stages of the second half when a pair of free-throws made it 57-55 for the Panthers.
After a timeout, Muniz came through in the clutch. A quick succession of passes between the circles got Muniz the ball. The junior would drive towards the hole, battling through the harm to get a basket to tie the score with 1:18 left. He would sink the ensuing free-throw to make it a one-point game.
Even after an FIU offensive rebound on the next possession, the Eagles kept the guests off the scoreboard.
Michael Duax would sink a free-throw to push the lead to two, but FIU would make two free-throws on the other end to tie the game 59-all. After a timeout, the Eagles would get the ball in against the pressing Panthers, and Duax would draw another foul. Again, the Iowa native would go 1-of-2 at the line, giving the Eagles a 60-59 lead with less than 20 seconds to go.
FIU (2-5) just needed a basket on the other end to win. As the clock spun down, the Panthers pulled up for a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but the shot clanged off the back iron.
Dallion Johnson rose above the crowd, grabbing his second and most-important rebound of the game just before the horn sounded to give the Eagles the victory.
"The wheels came off a little bit, and we had to draw the line in the sand," said Chambers. "I was really proud of
Rahmir Barno. He wanted the ball at the end. I was really proud of Duax. He wanted the ball at the end. I was so happy for Jevin," continued Chambers. "He's been wanting to play well, he's been wanting to make a big shot. He did it exactly how we drew it up."
With
Keeshawn Kellman unavailable, the Eagles had to go young, with four freshmen seeing the floor.
Tristen Guillouette earned his first collegiate start, while
Jack Reddick,
BB Washington and
Darren Williams combined to pick up 28 minutes of playing time. "The freshmen have taken steps," said Chambers. "You could see why BB was out there. He didn't flinch when he had just a little bit of space. Jack was super steady in the fire against a team that presses all the time. Darren gave us good minutes. Tristen was tough and physical inside. All four of them have really stepped up."
Zavian McLean led the Eagles in the first half with 14 points, finishing tying for game-high honors with 18. Barno closed with 11 points, with nine coming in the final 20 minutes. Muniz notched nine points, a game-high eight rebounds and five assists, tying Barno for the game-high. Duax finished with eight points and also matched Muniz with eight rebounds.
Jayden Brewer had 18 points to lead FIU, with Jonathan Aybar adding a dozen thanks to going 8-for-11 from the charity stripe.
The Eagles won two of the three games they played over the three days of the MTE, a performance that Chambers thinks will lift the team moving forward. "It gives us confidence and belief, right?" Chambers asked rhetorically. "Every game has been a one-possession game, and we haven't gotten over the hump, so to speak. We finally did that today so that should give us belief and confidence. We did some really good things."
FGCU will be back in action Saturday at another cross-coast rival as the Eagles take on FAU. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Boca Raton. FGCU will next be home Dec. 4 against Furman for a 7 p.m. start. Tickets for that game are available at
FGCUTickets.com.
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