FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball stays at home to face Chattanooga to begin the ASUN-SoCon Challenge on Saturday afternoon at Alico Arena.

The last time out, FGCU narrowly fell, 94-95, to Georgia Southern. FGCU received career best scoring nights from Rahmir Barno, Rory Stewart and Darren Williams, along with JR Konieczny's second straight 20 point outing and first double-double as an Eagle, but were unable to convert the production into a win, as Georgia Southern shot 45% from beyond the arc.

FGCU and Georgia Southern combined for 141 shots and 63 3-point attempts in the fastest paced game of FGCU's season thus far. FGCU lost despite attempting 25 more shots, finishing +22 in rebound margin, tallying 27 offensive rebounds (GS had 28 total), outscoring Georgia Southern 50-36 in the paint, 26-7 on second chance points, and 19-9 on fast breaks. 

Georgia Southern's 3-point shooting & bench production won the game for the northernmost Eagles. Georgia Southern outscored FGCU 31-14 in bench production and knocked down 15 3-pointers at a 45.5% clip (15-33) en route to the one point win. It was also a game of runs, and not in favor of FGCU. Georgia Southern went on a 16-0 run from 11:26-8:14 in the first half and an 18-4 run from 11:49-7:18 in the second half, combining for a 34-4 margin. FGCU answered the latter run with a 13-0 sprint, but it proved to not be enough.

Chattanooga enters at 1-2 after dropping true road games to St. Mary's and UNLV on a West Coast road trip. The Mocs struggled on the glass in both games, totaling 21 and 20 rebounds in each game. FGCU will look to capitalize on its advantage on the glass after outrebounding Georgia Southern by 22 in the loss.

The reigning NIT champions are replacing the bulk of their championship team. Honor Huff transferred to West Virginia, and Trey Bonham, Garrison Keeslar, Frank Champion and Bash Wieland concluded their collegiate careers.

Teddy Washington Jr. is Chattanooga's leading scorer on the young season at 12.3 points per game.  Tate Darner grabs 4.7 rebounds per game, Jordan Frision has 12 assists, and the Mocs have 21 steals and seven blocks as a team.

Saturday afternoon's tilt marks the first ever game between FGCU and Chattanooga.

For more information on FGCU men's basketball, follow @FGCU_MBB on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.