While I was suffering in Bradenton and desperately wanted to go back to FGCU stat, I was thankful enough to watch the FGCU men's basketball games from the comforts of my own house. The Eagles (5-2) recently competed in the Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout. The teams that participated in the tournament included Denver (2-4), Navy (5-3) and St. Francis-Brooklyn (1-5), where the Eagles swept all three teams.
Navy defeated Denver 79-71 and St. Francis Brooklyn 85-76 and Denver defeated St. Francis Brooklyn 60-50 in prior games in the tournament. Navy played a previous game and won 110-45 against NCAA DIII Washington College.
On Friday, FGCU first played Denver. Despite a strong fight from the Pioneers, the Eagles ended up winning 79-71.
"We didn't get off to a good start from an energy standpoint, but once we locked in Brandon and Zach did some good things to get us going," said FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "But we have to figure out our defense and get more stops. However, the ball did move a lot better today – 16 assists on 26 field goals is good to see. Ray (Scott Jr.) made some solid plays, and our bench really gave us a lift."
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson led the way with 20 points (5-for-9. 3-for-5 3PT, 7-for-9 FT), two rebounds and one assist. Johnson also added four steals in the game.
Redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and senior Christian Terrell had 16 points and four rebounds each. Goodwin added three assists and one steal while Terrell added five assists.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons had four points, one rebound and one block.
Off the bench, sophomore Raysean Scott Jr was two rebounds shy of a double-double. The Compton native had a season-high 15 points (7-for-8 FG) with eight rebounds and one block.
On Saturday, the Eagles played Navy and sunk the Midshipmen 70-54. Goodwin led the way with 19 points (7-for-11 FG, 2-for-6 3FG, 3-for-4 FT) and added four rebounds and two assists.
"I thought once we got into a rhythm in the 2nd half we were able to take control of the game," commented Dooley. "But it all came down to our defense tonight. We were able to get stops and get out and run; the ball didn't stick as much tonight. We also did a much better job on the backboards and had better energy – especially in the 2nd half."
Johnson had 17 points (6-for-12 FG, 3-for-6 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Terrell had a double-double of 12 points (5-for-9 FG, 2-for-3 3FG) and 10 rebounds. The Jacksonville native added one assist and one block as well.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had a season-high eight rebounds along with two points, one block and one steal. In the game against Denver, the Clinton, Iowa native had four points, one rebound, one block and one steal.
Scott had four points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Simmons had six points, one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal.
In the game against St. Francis Brooklyn, The Eagles tamed the Terriers 75-51.
"It was sort of a methodical, grind-it-out game," commented Dooley. "It was the third game in three days for both teams, and I think that showed a little bit. But overall it was a good performance, and I think we got better this weekend. We've got some things to tighten up over the coming week, but it was good to get back on track."
Terrell led the game with 20 points (7-for-10 FG, 2-for-2 3FG, 4-for-4 FT) and added three rebounds.
Simmons was three rebounds shy of his fifth career double-double and finished with 15 points (7-for-9 FG, 1-for-2 FT), seven rebounds and two assists.
Johnson and Goodwin combined for a seaon-low 13 points (Johnson (8 points), Goodwin (5 points)). Each had four rebounds. Johnson added three assists and three steals while Goodwin added two assists.
Scott was, once again, shy of a double-double. This time, by three points. Scott ended with seven points (3-for-3 FG, 1-for-1 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one block.
Off the bench, Ernst added three points and freshman Darnell Rogers got his first field goal of the game, ending with three points and one assist.
Redshirt junior Ricky Doyle had 10 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal. The Naples native and Michigan Transfer had one point, two rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals against Denver and four points, four rebounds and one block against Navy.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius and freshman Bryan Thomas were inactive due to injury, redshirt sophomores Kyle Hoffman and Troy Baxter Jr and redshirt junior Mark Matthews were inelgible to play due to them redshirting for the year after transferring. Freshman Ryan Roucant is technically eligible, but is choosing to redshirt for the season. Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore is also ineligible, but for a duration of the season. The Miami native will be eligible to play at the end of this fall semester (possibly December 27 against Rhode Island or December 29 against Florida Memorial).
At the end of the tournament, the results are as noted:
1. FGCU (3-0)
2. Navy (2-1)
3. Denver (1-2)
4. St. Francis Brooklyn (0-3)
Afterwards, the Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout All-Tournament Team was announced:
Representing FGCU was Johnson and Terrell. Terrell was also named All-Tournament Team MVP. For Denver was senior Daniel Amigo, Navy was senior Bryce Dulin and St. Francis Brooklyn was sophomore Rasheem Dunn.
The Terriers return to Brooklyn to face NCAA DIII New Rochelle.
The Pioneers will return to Denver to face the University of Wyoming.
The Midshipmen return to Annapolis to face Delaware.
FGCU remains at home for the next game and will face NAIA Webber International University on Wednesday, November 29 at 7 PM.
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