ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball was unable to snap its losing streak on the road Saturday, falling 102-80 to UCF.
The Knights entered averaging eight 3-point attempts per game, but buried 19 on 35 attempts for their best game from behind the arc this season. The Eagles finished at a higher percentage on their shots from distance, but made four less, going 15-for-27 from deep.
The two teams both shot the lights out in the first half. FGCU went 9-for-11 from behind the arc, including three made triples from
Rory Stewart.
Darren Williams and JR Konieczny each hit a pair of 3-pointers;
Jordan Ellerbee and
Gabe Tanner each made one.
Both teams combined to knock down 19 triples in the half, trading makes on consecutive possessions on six different occasions. The Eagles spent 12 minutes in front during the back-and-forth, and led by as much as eight after Stewart's third triple with 1:52 to go in the half. UCF ended the frame on an 8-0 run to go to halftime at a 49-49 tie.
FGCU kept it close for the first minutes of the second half, but the Knights used an extended 17-5 run to push the lead to double digits, before adding a 16-5 run to put the game away late. Offensive rebounds were critical, as UCF grabbed 17 on the game and 12 in the second half to post 17 second-chance points. The Knights also took 12 more shots from the field than the Eagles did.
Jordan Ellerbee led FGCU with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Konieczny and Stewart each scored 17 for the Eagles. Jordan Burks led all scorers with 23 points and six made 3-pointers; Themus Fulks added 21 for UCF and the Knights had five total players in double-digits.
FGCU returns home for its nonconference finale on Sunday, December 28 to face Fort Lauderdale at 2 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now for the game against Fort Lauderdale and ASUN action at
https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/FGCU.
For more information on FGCU men's basketball, follow @FGCU_MBB on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit
fgcuathletics.com.
