The FGCU men's basketball team (6-13, 1-3 A-SUN) picked up its first A-SUN Conference victory of the season with a 72-59 win over Kennesaw State (3-16, 0-4 A-SUN) Saturday evening at KSU Convocation Center. With the win, the Eagles are now 18-7 over the Owls.
The Eagles were led by a monster performance from senior Schadrac Casimir, who finished with season highs in scoring (34), rebounding (7) and free throws (10-for-10). He knocked down six 3-point field goals and finished 9-for-15 from the field to record the second-highest point total by any A-SUN player this season.
True freshman Zach Scott added 10 points for FGCU, all coming in the second half.
"I'm really proud of the effort our guys showed on the road in a week where we lost both RaySean (Scott Jr.) and Brady (Ernst)," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "We had a great few days of practice leading up to tonight. I thought our players did a great job of locking in on our game plan and making plays when we needed them. We're always excited to get a win, but we know it's time to refocus quickly to prepare for Stetson."
"At times we [distributed it well], and that is part of the things that we have to overcome," said Kennesaw head coach Al Skinner. "We have to do it a little more consistently. I thought we were a little inconsistent with our offense. Hopefully as we get a better feel moving forward, we'll handle the ball better and if we do that, it will help us tremendously. But that's something that we have to continue to work on."
Scott Jr was unable to play due to an injury he suffered at UNF while Ernst, who finished with two points and three rebounds, only played four minutes before being pulled out due to a concussion.
With Ernst sidelined, sophomore Brian Thomas, despite fouling out, filled in for Ernst and finished with his best game of the season of six points and a team-leading eight rebounds in his hometown.
The Eagles shot 42.4 percent (25-for-59) overall, 30 percent (9-for-30) from behind the 3-point line and 76.5 percent (13-for-17) at the free-throw line. KSU shot just 35.8 percent (19-for-53) overall, 33.3 percent (5-for-15) from deep range and 76.2 percent (16-for-21) at the charity stripe.
FGCU led the way in assists (12-10), fewer turnovers (13-15), blocks (6-1), steals (7-6), points in the paint (33-19), points off turnovers (13-11), second-chance points (6-3), fast-break points (9-7), and bench production (17-10).
Redshirt junior Tyler Hooker entered the game leading the A-SUN in scoring at 19 points per game, but he was held to just 13. Danny Lewis led the Owls with 16, while Bobby Parker added 12.
"The defensive end is going to be really important for us, and again, it's the inconsistencies that we have," said Skinner on the Owls' defense. "We played well defensively for a period of time and then we'd give up a couple of easy opportunities. Those things have to improve and with a young team, unfortunately, this is what happens. As the season goes along, we will continue to get better in that area."
FGCU scored the first eight points of the game and never allowed KSU to get closer than five. The Eagles initially found a 21-6 advantage but allowed the Owls to use an 8-0 run to pull within seven at the midway point of the opening frame. A quick 6-0 run by Casimir extended FGCU's lead back out to 13, and the visitors maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the first half. Sophomore Brian Thomas converted a put-back layup at the buzzer to give the Eagles a 40-28 cushion at the break. The 12-point halftime lead was the second-largest of the season and the most since the team entered the locker room up 14 over UMBC on Dec. 16.
Scott came out on fire in the second half, scoring the first seven points for the Eagles to help the visitors extend their lead to 21 points. They maintained that advantage all the way until KSU used a 7-0 run to get within 63-55 at the 4:32 mark. Casimir ended any comeback threat, however, by icing the game with seven points down the stretch.
Up Next:
After a three-game road swing that will have spanned 16 days, the Eagles return home for a Jan. 21 clash with Stetson. The Eagles and Hatters will lock up at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Pinkout game, which will also double as the Coaches vs. Cancer contest. The FGCU staff will wear sneakers to help raise awareness.
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