FORT MYERS, Fla. – 14 made 3-pointers for Lipscomb (10-7, 3-1 ASUN) was the difference on Saturday at Alico Arena, as the Bisons took an 84-77 win over Florida Gulf Coast (7-10, 1-3 ASUN).
Lipscomb hit 8 of its 14 triples in the second half en route to a 56 point period. The Bisons also went 18-for-21 at the free throw line, while FGCU went 5-for-17 from behind the arc and 12-for-19 at the charity stripe in the game.
The Eagles did outpace Lipscomb from the field, shooting 50.8% to the Bisons' 47.3% behind 36 points in the paint. It's the second consecutive game and fourth time this season that FGCU has lost despite shooting a higher percentage from the field than its opponent.
JR Konieczny led FGCU with 26 points on 12-for-17 shooting from the field. He grabbed ten rebounds for his second double-double of the season and also had four steals. It's the second time this season that Konieczny has had back-to-back 20-point outings.
Both defenses came out strong in the first half. The Eagles held Lipscomb scoreless for nearly five minutes after allowing a pair of early 3-pointers to retake the lead, 10-8. After a fastbreak dunk from
Rahmir Barno tied the score at 16-all with 9:38 to go in the period, it was a one possession game the rest of the half.
Rory Stewart buried a triple with 32 seconds to play that put FGCU on top heading into the break, 30-28.
The inverse occurred in the second half, as the offense of each team controlled the tempo of the game. The Eagles took a seven point lead on three separate occasions, and maintained the lead for the first eight minutes of the frame, diving for loose balls and finishing shots through contact, including a Konieczny no-look and-one layup.
Lipscomb took its first lead of the half on a triple from Charlie Williams to go up 53-52, as the Bisons used the free throw line and shots from distance to cut into the deficit. FGCU took its last lead of the game on a pair of
Jordan Ellerbee free throws with 10:53 to go in the second half.
A 9-2 Lipscomb run followed to take a 62-56 lead. Three Bisons' 3-pointers pushed the lead to nine points in a back-and-forth tilt with Konieczny. FGCU used a full court press late to cut the lead to three points off a Konieczny jumper with 30 seconds left, but Lipscomb made all eight of its free throws in the final two minutes to earn the 84-77 win.
The two leading passers in the ASUN showed why they're atop that stat category on Saturday, as
Rahmir Barno had seven assists en route to setting his single-season career high with 97. Mateo Esmeraldo had 11 assists for the Bisons.
Charlie Williams led all scorers with 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field. He made all four of his 3-point attempts and added a team-high seven rebounds for Lipscomb. Titas Sargiunas added 19 on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range, five of which came in the second half.
Next, FGCU continues its homestand at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15 against Queens.
Tickets are on sale now for 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.
