The FGCU men's basketball team (7-14, 2-4 A-SUN) suffered a close 89-81 setback to A-SUN Conference favorite Lipscomb (15-4, 6-0 A-SUN) Thursday night in Allen Arena.
The Bisons had won their previous four games by an average of 21.5 points per game and had yet to yield 80 points to any A-SUN opponent this season.
"I am super proud of our effort tonight. That was as good of a competitive effort as we've had all year," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "We respect the heck out of that team. (Lipscomb) threw in some 3-point shots late on a ball-fake and with multiple hands in their faces. I told our guys that if you can play like that against the league favorite on the road, then you can play with anybody. To be honest, I'm as encouraged as I've been after any game this year."
“I was worried about it for almost the whole game,” Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander said. “You have to give them (FGCU) credit. They came in with a good plan and did a lot of really good things. They have a lot of talent and their guys played with a lot of confidence.”
Senior Dinero Mercurius led the Eagles with 17 points off the bench, reaching double figures for the first time in conference play. Classmate Schadrac Casimir poured in his usual 14, while sophomore Troy Baxter Jr. had 10, all in the second half.
The Eagles hung with the reigning champs and league-leading Bison for all 40 minutes, and even held a lead with less than three minutes to play. The home side was able to hang on in the end, using a late 14-2 run to avoid the upset bid.
FGCU actually outshot Lipscomb, finishing 28-for-59 (47.5 percent) from the field. The visitors also shot 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from behind the 3-point line and 65 percent (13-for-20) at the free-throw line. The Bison shot just 44.6 percent (29-for-65) overall, 44.8 percent (13-for-29) from deep and 78.3 percent (18-for-23) from the charity stripe.
A-SUN Preseason Player of the Year Garrison Mathews scored 31 with 10 rebounds to counter six turnovers, while Michael Buckland and Matt Rose each added 11.
The Bison scored the first five points of the game and enjoyed an initial 8-2 advantage, but a 10-0 run gave FGCU a 12-8 lead. Lipscomb quickly erased the deficit and found its rhythm to move on top 24-15, and the team continued to stay ahead 42-28 with two minutes left in the opening frame. The Eagles stayed within striking distance, however, by scoring seven unanswered to trail just 42-35 at the break.
FGCU never backed down and took its first lead of the second half at 56-55 at the under-12 media timeout. The lead changed hands 10 times total in the second half, with the final swing of momentum coming at the critical moment when the Bison were able to pull away late.
FGCU forced 18 Lipscomb turnovers and also led in blocks (7-0), steals (6-5), fast-break points (8-2) and bench production (32-27).
Up Next:
FGCU returns home for a contest against North Florida at 5 p.m. Jan. 27. The Sunday matinee will be a rematch of an earlier-season clash between the two programs in Jacksonville, Florida, that saw the Ospreys knock off the Eagles.
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