The FGCU men's basketball team (5-11, 0-1 A-SUN) opened up A-SUN Conference action with an 81-63 setback to Liberty (12-4, 1-0 A-SUN) Saturday night inside Alico Arena.
The Eagles dropped their third contest in a row, while the Flames continued their hottest start to a season in school history.
"(Liberty) played really well tonight. They outcompeted us for a stretch (in the second half). We were right there in the game, but they made three 3-pointers in a row for a quick nine-point swing," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "They're a really good team. I'm hoping they won't be better than us by the end of conference play, but tonight they were better than us. We can't hang our heads though. We just need to get ready for our next game."
Senior Dinero Mercurius reached the 1,000-point plateau in the contest after scoring five for the Eagles. He now has 1,004 points in his collegiate career between stops at USF, Daytona State and FGCU. Classmate Schadrac Casimir paced the Green and Blue with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He went 5-for-7 from the free-throw line and snapped a string of 21-made free throws that dated back to Dec. 5.
Junior RaySean Scott Jr. tallied 13 points, while true freshman Zach Scott chipped in 12.
FGCU shot 50 percent (23-for-46) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-for-13) from behind the 3-point arc and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) at the free-throw line. LU shot 57.4 percent (31-for-54) overall, 50 percent (14-for-28) from distance and 71.5 percent (5-for-7) at the charity stripe.
Darius McGhee came off the bench for Liberty and led all scorers with 18 points. Scottie James (12), Caleb Homesley (12), Lovell Cabbil (10) and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (10) all scored in double figures.
The Flames scored the game's first seven points and never trailed. They initially led 14-2, but a 9-0 run from the home side helped FGCU get within two at 16-14. LU stretched its lead out to nine at 25-16 and eventually gained a 10-point advantage at 31-21 with three minutes remaining in the first stanza. The Eagles powered back into the game, however, and got within three before entering the locker room trailing just 36-30.
The early stages of the second period belonged to FGCU, with the Green and Blue getting within two points on multiple occasions. The key moments of the contest occurred right after the Eagles had pulled within 54-50 with 13 minutes left on the clock. Liberty hit three 3-pointers over the course of the next three possessions and extended their lead out to 13. FGCU continued to fight until the end, but the home side was unable to cut the deficit back down into single digits.
Up Next:
The Eagles are set to begin a three-game road swing with a trip to North Alabama. FGCU and the A-SUN newcomers will meet at 9 p.m. EST in Florence, Alabama.
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