The FGCU men's basketball team dropped an 87-66 contest at North Florida in an ASUN Conference matchup Saturday night in UNF Arena in Jacksonville. The Eagles (5-13, 0-3 A-SUN) fell for the fifth time in a row, while the Ospreys (8-10, 2-1 A-SUN) remained perfect at home this season and snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Green and Blue.
"I was encouraged with some things, because the press is starting to look like I want it to and guys are competing hard," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "The reality is there aren't a lot of guys in that locker room that have been in this program and know how to win these games on the road. Because of the success we've had here, we are the hunted going into every game. Teams have been waiting for years to be able to beat us, and you have to bring that intensity every night because of the success we've had in this league."
"Super, super proud of the guys. We've said all along that we needed to be able to rebound and defend at a high level in order to be successful," said UNF head coach Matt Driscoll. "When you play against a talented team in the upper level of our league like FGCU, you have to be able to defend and rebound and we did both of those things. We were definitely not perfect but out-rebounding somebody by 15 and recording numerous defensive stops especially in the second half was phenomenal. Wajid and Noah getting double-doubles with four blocks each was huge. I thought Ezekiel's (Balogun) energy off the bench was a difference maker. Carter (Hendricksen) gave us a lift after Garrett Sams picked up his third foul in the first half. We elevated our game and took it to another level. When we share the sugar, getting 23 assists on 31 baskets, we are a tough group. Everybody panics about the turnovers, as do I at times, but our guys sometimes try to be such great teammates that leads to some tough passes. Proud of how the guys were able to play through some mistakes and continue to make the next right decision."
FGCU was buoyed by a personal-best effort from junior Christian Carlyle. Carlyle erupted for a career-high 21 points, while also earning new top marks in made field goals (8) and 3-point baskets (3). Senior Schadrac Casimir also reached double figures, finishing with 10 points. True freshman Caleb Catto had a solid all-around performance that included five points, three rebounds and a season-best five steals. His five swipes were the most for an Eagle since Feb. 17 of last year (Brandon Goodwin).
Juniors Noah Horchler (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Wajid Aminu (16 points, 12 rebounds) both tallied double-doubles for UNF. Redshirt junior J.T. Escobar (15) and juniors Ivan Gandia-Rosa (15) and Garrett Sams (10) also scored in double figures for the Ospreys.
The Eagles shot 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from the field, 41.2 percent (7-for-17) from 3-point land and 62.5 percent (15-for-24) at the free-throw line. UNF shot 47.7 percent (31-for-65) overall, 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from deep and 62.5 percent (10-for-16) at the line.
The Ospreys jumped out to a 6-1 lead, but FGCU scored the next five points. Both programs went on separate 5-0 runs to keep the score even at 11-11 seven minutes into the contest. From that point on, the two teams juggled the lead back and forth until a 12-0 run put the home side on top 39-29. The Eagles were able to pull five points back before intermission and trailed just 39-34 at halftime.
FGCU stayed close and was down just 46-43 five minutes into the second stanza, but a 14-2 run from UNF allowed the home team to create enough separation to close out the contest. The Eagles were unable to chip the deficit back into single digits.
UP NEXT
FGCU will wrap up a three-game road stretch against Kennesaw State at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in Kennesaw, Georgia.
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