Rory Stewart made a 3-pointer with 16 seconds to go to give Florida Gulf Coast University's men's basketball team the lead for good, and the Eagles rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to knock off Stetson, 83-80, in an Atlantic Sun Conference matchup Thursday night at Insight Credit Union Arena at Edmunds Center in DeLand, Florida.
The win - the Eagles' second straight after two straight road losses - keeps FGCU (16-13, 11-5) in a tie for third in the ASUN standings with two games left in the regular season. FGCU trails first-place Lipscomb (12-5) and North Alabama (12-5) by one game. The ASUN Tournament gets underway March 2 at campus sites.
Rapid Recap:
Stetson (7-22, 5-11) held a 37-33 halftime lead, but the Eagles and Hatters would battle back and forth for the entire second half in a game that featured 20 lead changes and 14 ties. A layup by Jevin Muniz with 17:21 to go gave the Eagles their first lead of the second half at 41-39, but Stetson immediately responded and built as much as a five-point lead - the last time coming at 53-48 with 11:51 remaining after a free throw by Tristan Gross.
FGCU chipped away at Stetson's lead and tied the game multiple times, only to see Stetson pull ahead by a few points. The Eagles then would mount another rally before the Hatters rallied themselves. Stetson's last lead came at 80-78 when Jamie Phillips Jr. made a jumper and was fouled. He missed the subsequent free throw and on FGCU's next possession, Stewart made a 3-pointer to put FGCU ahead, 81-80. It was Stewart's only basket and only points of the game for the Eagles.
Stetson missed a shot to tie the game, and Keeshawn Kellman grabbed the rebound before being fouled with 3 seconds to go. He made both free throws to make it 83-80 FGCU, and the Eagles got a defensive stop on Stetson's last possession to preserve the win and sweep the season series with the Hatters.
Notes and Numbers:
- Muniz had a double-double to lead FGCU, pouring in a game-high 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as well. Muniz - who also passed the 1,000 career point mark - also added four assists in 36 minutes of work.
- Kellman had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Michael Duax pitched in 13 points and eight rebounds for the Eagles.
- FGCU finished the game 27-for-56 (48.2 percent) from the field overall, including 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range. The Eagles did make 23 of their 30 free-throw attempts (76.7 percent) compared to Stetson's 15-for-22 (68.2 percent).
- The Eagles also dominated the boards, outrebounding Stetson 44-26. FGCU also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to the Hatters' six.
Up Next:
FGCU hosts North Florida in another ASUN game Monday night. Tipoff in Alico Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
