Despite having a 36-34 lead at the break, the FGCU men's basketball team (2-5) could not contain the UTSA (1-5) offense who shot nearly 55 percent in the second half as the Eagles fell to the Roadrunners, 76-65, in the final game of the Gulf Coast Showcase, Wednesday afternoon at Hertz Arena.
FGCU had three players score in double-digits led by junior Christian Carlyle with 16 points. Redshirt seniors Schadrac Casimir and Haanif Cheatham both added 14 points each as Cheatham finished with four rebounds.
Redshirt junior Brady Ernst, who got his third start of the year, snagged a game-high 11 rebounds.
UTSA was led Jhivvan Jackson with 21 points off the bench while Keaton Wallace added 19 points and Nick Allen chipping in 13 points.
"I thought we did a good job coming out with energy in the first half," said head coach Michael Fly. "I thought we were playing the way we were capable of. They went on a little bit of a run and I feel like we didn't hit back very well. We came back out in the second half, they went on a run and we didn't respond. We're going to get back to the building blocks when we start practice on Friday and get this thing right."
The lead was no bigger than three points for either side through the first eight minutes until Cheatham connected on a three-point play after getting fouled, making it a 13-7 contest. Under the 10-minute mark, Casimir's mid-range jumper gave FGCU's its biggest lead, 21-13. Just as it looked like the Eagles were pulling away, Jackson's back-to-back treys for UTSA pulled them to within one as Wallace tied the game at 22-22 with a bucket and a free throw.
The match would be tied four more times in the final eight minutes as a layup from Casimir gave FGCU a 36-34 lead going into the break. FGCU shot 41 percent during the first 20 minutes while holding the Roadrunners to just 35 percent.
In the second half, UTSA came out of the gates going a on 12-5 run spearheaded by back-to-back three-pointers from Wallace before a pair of free throws (14:28 mark) from redshirt senior Ricky Doyle cut the Roadrunner's margin to 46-41. From there, the Eagles would get to as close as seven points (51-44, 13:26) as UTSA built a lead as large as 17 with 2:27 left en route to the 76-65 final.
All said FGCU shot 39 percent from the field – lowest mark of the season – despite winning the paint battle 32-30. UTSA ended the contest shooting 45 percent from the floor.
Up Next:
FGCU will look to get rid of a three-game losing streak when the Eagles travel across Alligator Alley this weekend to face cross-town foe FAU (4-1) Sunday at 3 pm.
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