MIAMI, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball's comeback effort fell short at FIU on Wednesday night, as the Eagles fell 89-83.
FGCU had five scorers in double digits, led by
Isaiah Malone with a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double – his second of the season. JR Konieczny,
Jordan Ellerbee and
Darren Williams scored 13 each, and
Rahmir Barno had a career high 12 assists to go with a 12 point double-double.
The Eagles got out to an early lead behind seven points from Ellerbee and Malone before FIU went on a 10-0 run. The two teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the half, with FGCU playing well in the paint and the Panthers shooting well from beyond the arc. 3-pointers made the difference at halftime, as FIU was 6-for-14 to FGCU's 2-for-11 and led 44-38.
In the second half, Malone played explosive basketball above the rim, recording thunderous dunks on three consecutive possessions. Williams had his best offensive half of the season as FGCU attempted to rally, scoring 11 of his 13 points and making a pair of 3-pointers. The Eagles cut the deficit to four on three separate occasions, including after a Williams triple with 3:17 to play and after a Duax triple with 14 seconds left, but never got any closer, and lost 89-83.
FGCU held FIU to 3-for-10 shooting from 3-point range in the second half, but the Panthers lived at the free throw line, going 26-for-30 at the charity stripe, and scored their last 19 points of the game there.
Next, FGCU returns home on Sunday, Dec. 7 for its second consecutive in-state showdown against FAU.
Tickets are on sale now for the FGCU-FAU game at
https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/FGCU. Black Friday deals, including a Home for the Holidays Family 4-Pack and Azul's Workshop Holiday special, are available through Dec. 5.
For more information on FGCU men's basketball, follow @FGCU_MBB on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit
fgcuathletics.com.
