ORLANDO, Fla. – If there was any doubt that FGCU head coach Pat Chambers reloaded his roster and then some in the offseason, Monday night's performance erased it.

Led by a double-double from Bryson Lucas – whose Hail Mary bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded in overtime – along with a 20-point performance from Justin Houser, FGCU (0-1) pushed host UCF (1-0) to the edge in a 96-95 overtime contest to open the 2026-27 season. The performance sent all 5,054 fans in attendance home breathing a sigh of relief instead of an expected celebratory mood.

That sigh of relief came as UCF's Dior Johnson, who led all players with 41 points, hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Knights a 96-92 advantage. Just 12 seconds later, Chase Konieczny hit a step-back three, pulling the Eagles within one. After UCF inbounded the ball to Johnson, he was immediately fouled, giving the Eagles a chance. However, 41 points almost wasn't good enough for Johnson and the Knights.

With less than three seconds remaining, Johnson stepped to the line and missed both free throws. Lucas grabbed the rebound on the second miss and, mimicking his time as a starting quarterback in high school, heaved the ball approximately 92 feet down the court in front of over 5,000 fans holding their breath. The ball was seemingly on target and ricocheted off the backboard, only to bounce off the rim and out of the goal.
 
"I don't know if it went our way. I think we earned it," Chambers said in his postgame press conference when asked if just keeping the game close and going to overtime was a result of things going FGCU's way. "I think we competed. We fought. We put ourselves in the right position. So, I want to give my guys credit, because I don't think that was luck by any stretch. I think we did what we needed to win the game."
The Green & Blue made 12 3-pointers and went an impressive 25-for-27 (93%) at the free-throw line while outrebounding UCF, 37-27.

On his way to scoring a team-high 25 points, Lucas hit three 3-pointers and went 10-for-17 from the field while adding 10 rebounds, two assists and one block, dramatically stuffing the ball back from one of Johnson's layup attempts.
Houser, the program's first 7-foot player in school history, scored an impressive 20 points thanks to a trio of 3-pointers while adding six rebounds and a steal. He nearly had a fourth 3-pointer, but it was changed to two points after video review showed just the tip of his shoe touching the 3-point line.

"To have a 5-man that can make 3s, it opens up the floor for guys like Bryson, Turk Brown III and others," Chambers said of Houser's long-range shooting ability.

Darren Williams tied a career high with 15 points on five 3-pointers. Brown recorded eight assists with no turnovers and added nine points to nearly record a double-double in his first collegiate game as a true freshman.



Florida Gulf Coast held a 38-36 halftime edge after going 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, posting an 18-14 rebounding advantage and committing five turnovers to UCF's seven. It marked just the first time that FGCU held a halftime lead against a power conference team since 2015. The Eagles used a 9-0 run late in the half to move from a 32-27 deficit to a 36-32 lead, while UCF stayed close behind 19 bench points and eight points off turnovers.

Florida Gulf Coast was outscored 46-44 in the second half, but Chase Konieczny's layup as time expired in regulation tied things up at 82-82. The Eagles went 5-for-14 from 3-point range and 15-for-17 at the line while holding a 15-11 rebounding edge, and they erased a 12-point deficit to tie the score at 71 with 6:04 remaining. UCF countered by shooting 14-for-24 from the field, committing just one turnover and producing a 12-1 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Green & Blue shot 4-for-8 in overtime and made 3 of 4 from 3-point range, with Lucas scoring eight of the Eagles' 13 points in the extra session. UCF went 4-for-5 from the field and got 10 overtime points from Dior Johnson, including the layup that moved the score from 92-92 to 94-92 with 36 seconds left, before holding on 96-95.
 
Johnson scored 41 points, going 13-for-15 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3-point range while adding 11 free throws. Lewis Walker added 16 points, two rebounds and two assists. Arturo Dean finished with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. John Bol recorded eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. Former FGCU player Isaiah Malone fouled out after 20 minutes of action, scoring just three points and grabbing only two rebounds.

Up next, the Eagles return home to host New College of Florida in the home opener on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. at Alico Arena in Fort Myers.

Game Notes:

• FGCU is now 22-12 all-time in overtime games.
• The Eagles are 3-3 in OT games under Pat Chambers.
• With a 38-36 lead at halftime, FGCU had a halftime lead over a power conference opponent for the first time since Nov. 27, 2015 against Florida.
• Justin Houser – Scored a career-best 20 points.
• Houser - Made a career-high 3 3-pointers.
• Houser - Grabbed 6 total rebounds to set a new career-best mark.
• Turk Brown III – Nearly had a double-double in his first collegiate game with 9 points and 8 assists.
• Bryson Lucas – Registered a double-double in his FGCU debut with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
• Chase Konieczny – Scored a career-high 15 points, including a game-tying layup as regulation expired.
• Darren Williams – Matched a career-best 15 points.
• Williams - Made 5 3-pointers, tying a career high.
• Matt McCarthy - Tied a career-best with 3 rebounds.
• BB Washington - Registered 7 points for a new career-high.

 
 
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