BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball relied on its best defensive performance of the season to shut down Samford en route to a 77-62 win in Birmingham on Wednesday night.

Rahmir Barno led FGCU with 16 points. Isaiah Malone notched his first double-double with a 12 point, 12 rebound outing, and Jordan Ellerbee added his third double digit game of the season, also scoring 12.

"I'm really proud of our players' mentality and effort that they came out with tonight on the road against a great team," head coach Pat Chambers said. "It's only November, but we took some positive steps in our development. Long way to go in order to be prepared for conference play."

The Bulldogs hit two early layups, but were quickly quieted by the FGCU defense, going eight minutes without a shot as the Eagles knocked down theirs. FGCU built a 16-4 lead in the first eight minutes, and led for the rest of the game.

Michael Duax had a strong first half for FGCU, including back-to-back dunks off assists from JR Konieczny.
 

so nice, they did it twice!@TheJrKonieczny dimes, Duax dunks! pic.twitter.com/AHuLKCPHKG

— FGCU Men's Hoops (@FGCU_MBB) November 20, 2025

In the second half, the Eagles forced a four-minute Samford scoreless spell. The Bulldogs, who scored at least 72 in each of their first five games, including 75 against John Calipari's Arkansas squad, managed just 62 against FGCU. Samford posted its season worst shooting percentage from the field (33.9%), from the 3-point line (26.9%) and the free throw line (54.2%).

The Eagles won the rebound battle by 15, their fourth time in five games finishing +10 or better on the glass. Samford managed a late 7-0 run to attempt to counter the 13-0 and 12-0 FGCU runs, but FGCU's rebounding advantage was magnified as the Eagles grabbed four offensive rebounds on a possession that drained 1:20 off the clock and finished with a pair of made free throws from Barno.

The next time down the floor, the junior buried a triple to seal the Eagles' victory.
 

🗡 @BgRah0 x #ATTITUDE pic.twitter.com/sJKfMiPbPv

— FGCU Men's Hoops (@FGCU_MBB) November 20, 2025

Next, FGCU heads back to Fort Myers for the Geico Coconut Hoops tournament at Alico Arena, beginning against Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24.

Tickets for the full Geico Coconut Hoops tournament are on sale now at https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/events/MCHOOPS or by calling (866) 342-8849.

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