Closing out their final away game of 2018, the FGCU men's basketball (5-10) suffered their third loss against a Power 5 Conference team this season as they fell 87-57 to Ole Miss (10-2) inside The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.
"A lot of how today went is credit to coach (Kermit) Davis. (Ole Miss) did a really good job defensively," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "They came out with a lot of energy to start the game. We responded in a positive way, but we just couldn't get back into it after they had a little bit of a run at the end of the half. We also missed some shots around the rim that we normally make.
"We never accept losing in this program, but today was a good learning experience. The positive I take away from the game is we competed for the most part, which is something I'm concerned about more than anything else. "
The Eagles were led in scoring by junior RaySean Scott Jr. The Compton native finished one rebound shy of a double-double as he finished with a with a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds.
Another player that emerged back in session was redshirt senior Dinero Mercurius as he finished with 12 points (3-4 FG, 3-3 3PT, 3-3 FT). Mercurius was playing off the bench.
Junior Decardo Day finished with eight points and tied season-high seven assists.
Sophomore Brian Thomas was second behind Scott Jr. as he finished with four points, three rebounds and a block.
For the Rebels, five players reach double figures in scoring with senior Terence Davis leading the way with 20 points and six rebounds.
Junior Breein Tyree followed with 14 points, six assists and four steals.
Sophomore Devontae Shuler, freshman Blake Hinson and senior Bruce Stevens finished with 11 points each.
The Eagles were 21-for-52 (40.4%) while the Rebels were 31-for-60 (51.7%).
To conclude on this post like the one I did last year, I'm just going to be honest, I'm a little disappointed with our team this year. I mean I understand that it's a rebuilding process on coach Fly's playing style, but to be frank it's not working very well.
The tempo is too fast for us and it's causing more turnovers to occur and very bad ball IQ decisions that were made throughout the season. It's a mess, and the whole team is not taking their time during the game. I mean I understand that they have 30 seconds to shoot the ball and try to get it in the basket and eight seconds to get across the other half of the court, which is rare to see and no big deal, but they do have time and need to slow down when they play and stop rushing their shots. The more they rush, the worse their game gets. It's the small mental mistakes made that cause them to struggle and it's the little details that make the decision.
The big men were not boxing out strong enough and are not even fully using their height to their advantage. Our bigs height range between 6-9 to 6-11 and they're not using it to their advantage. I'm 6-0 and 260 pounds, basically the height of a guard with the body of a power forward/center and based on what I've seen from our bigs, I can box out all of them while drinking a cup of tea in the boiling sun and in bare feet.
I'm sorry that I'm coming out harsh for being this honest about this season, but I'd rather be honest and express my opinions than hold them back like steam in a kettle. It's nothing against coach Fly, but the playing style is just not working.
Now we're hoping conference can save the day for FGCU and help our chances of making it to the national tournament if not the A-SUN Conference Tournament.
Goodbye 2018 and hello 2019.
Up Next:
FGCU will ring in 2019 with their A-SUN Conference opener. The Eagles will play host to league newcomer Liberty at 7 p.m. Jan. 5 inside Alico Arena in the second game of a doubleheader with the FGCU women, who play at 4 p.m. The contests are the second Green out of the year.
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