FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball (10-14, 4-7 ASUN) fell to EKU (8-16, 4-7) 76-74 on Thursday night.
Isaiah Malone led FGCU with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
Rahmir Barno had a 12 point, 10 assist double-double,
Jordan Ellerbee added 15 and JR Konieczny scored 14.
FGCU lost for just the second time this season when allowing less than 80 points. The Eagles outshot the Colonels 46% to 40% from the field, and both teams knocked down 10 3-pointers, but EKU hit 20 free throws to FGCU's 10.
The Eagles built a first half lead behind good defense and poor shooting from EKU, as the Colonels shot just 26.7% from the field in the opening period. Konieczny and Barno combined for 17 of the Eagles' 39 points en route to a 39-26 halftime lead.
It was a tale of two halves in Richmond, as EKU scored 50 in the second frame. Ellerbee had 10 of his 15 and Malone scored 12, but it wasn't enough for the Eagles despite extending the lead in the first seven minutes of the half.
The Colonels came back in the final 13 minutes of the game, going on a 25-2 run to take the lead. EKU outscored FGCU by 10 at the free throw line on the night and made eight shots at the charity stripe during their run. The Eagles battled back to tie the game with a Konieczny dunk in the final minute, but EKU hit a layup to go up 76-74 with seven seconds remaining and FGCU's final shot was off the mark.
Juan Cranford Jr. led EKU with 17 points, including four made 3-pointers, off the bench. Montavious Myrick added 15 for the Colonels.
Next, FGCU takes on Bellarmine at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7
Tickets are on sale now for ASUN action 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
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Isaiah Malone had a 18 point, 11 rebound double-double for his fourth double-double of the season
– Malone led FGCU in scoring for the fifth time this season and in rebounding for the eighth time this season
– His 18 points were good for his tenth double-digit game of the season
– Ellerbee's 15 points are good for his team-best 17th double-digit game of the season
–
Rahmir Barno had a 12 point, 10 assist double-double for his third double-double of the season
– His 12 points were good for his 16th double-digit game of the season
– His 10 assists were good for his third double-digit assist game of the season
– Konieczny's 14 points were good for his 13th double-digit game of the season
–
Tristen Guillouette tied his career high with two steals
– FGCU lost for just the second time when allowing under 80 points (previous occurrence was at New Mexico)
– EKU's 15-0 and 10-0 second half runs are the 13th and 14th 10+ point runs by FGCU opponents this season
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