FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball (13-15, 7-8 ASUN) held off a late Jacksonville rally to earn its fifth straight home win, 86-84, and sweep the season series with the Dolphins (10-18, 5-10) on Wednesday at Alico Arena.
Isaiah Malone scored a career high 24 points, including an emphatic poster dunk, and surpassed Kyle Marks for the second-most blocks in a single season by an Eagle with 53.
Rahmir Barno added 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, and FGCU got double-digit games from all five starters in the win.
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The Eagles were up eight with 1:10 to play after a
Darren Williams 3-pointer, but JU answered with a quick 5-0 run on its next two possessions. With 21 seconds to go,
Jordan Ellerbee knocked down the first two of FGCU's six made free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the lead and secure the conference win.
Ellerbee (13 points),
Michael Duax (10 points) and JR Konieczny (10 points) joined Malone and Barno in double-digits. It's the first time five Eagles scored in double-digits in a game since the January 17 win over West Georgia that kickstarted FGCU's five-game home winning streak.
Just less than three weeks after their first meeting of the season, in which both defenses kept the game to just a 68-49 final, the offenses exploded out of the gate. FGCU and JU shot 63.0% and 69.6%, respectively, from the field in the first half en route to a 46-42 Eagles halftime lead. Malone and Barno had 14 and 10 in the half as FGCU posted a staggering 77.3% shooting from 2-point range in the period. The two teams combined for 52 paint points in the half.
FGCU led for 33:43 in the win, including nearly the entire second half. The Dolphins had only one second half lead – at 14:24 after a made layup by Jaylen Jones. Barno immediately answered with his fifth made 3-pointer in ASUN play and his first at home during the five-game win streak to give the Eagles a lead they would not relinquish.Â
Despite allowing 82 points, the FGCU defense stifled Jacksonville for a four and a half minute stretch in the second half. The Dolphins went scoreless after a make at 9:33 until past the five minute mark. During that span, Konieczny hit a 3-pointer, and Malone, Duax and Ellerbee all made layups to give FGCU a nine-point cushion.
Of the five starters, only Malone tallied less than 30 minutes for FGCU due to foul trouble. His 10-for-11 night at the free throw line was key for the Eagles. Duax grabbed eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, to help the Eagles win the rebound battle 35-24.
Hayden Wood led the Dolphins with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field.Â
Next, FGCU concludes its home slate with senior day at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, against Central Arkansas (17-10, 12-2).
Tickets are on sale now for senior day at https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/FGCU.Â
For more information on FGCU men's basketball, follow @FGCU_MBB on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.
Postgame Notes
– Malone passed Kyle Marks for the second-most blocks in a single season by an Eagle with 53 after recording two in the win
– Malone also scored a career-high 24 points
– FGCU had all five starters score in double-digits
– Barno scored 16 points in his most minutes played (36) since January 10
– Ellerbee added 13 points for his team-high 21st double-digit game of the season and scored in double-digits for the tenth consecutive game
– Konieczny scored in double-digits for the 17th time this season and for the fifth game in a row
– Duax grabbed eight rebounds, his best outing on the glass since January 23
– Guillouette scored eight points; his best two games in ASUN play (11 points in the first meeting) have come against the Dolphins Â
