In a wave of white, the FGCU men's basketball team (10-15, 5-5 A-SUN) managed to get their payback and split the series as they defeated North Alabama (8-17, 5-5 A-SUN) 71-64. With the win, the Eagles are now 1-3 against the Lions.
"I was really proud of our fight and effort tonight, especially against a team that's as competitive as (North Alabama). (UNA) coach (Tony) Pujol is a good friend of mine. His team fights and claws for everything, and he's doing a tremendous job with that program," FGCU coach Michael Fly said. "That's as tough a team as we've played all year, and to our guys' credit we were able to find a way to win. There were a couple of times the game could have swung in the wrong direction for us, but we had everyone step up tonight and make big plays down the stretch. I think we are still progressing and getting better every day. As long as we continue to get better, the scoreboard will take care of itself."
Freshman Zach Scott scored a team-high 17 points and continued his torrid pace as of late. The true freshman went 6 of 8 overall and 5 of 6 from 3-point land. He has scored in double figures in all five of FGCU's last five victories, and he has notched at least 14 in three of his last four. Senior Dinero Mercurius continues to shine off the bench, as he poured in four triples and landed on 16 points. Fellow senior Schadrac Casimir added 13 points, while true freshman Caleb Catto dropped 11.
The Eagles shot 46.0 percent (23-for-50) from the field, 47.6 percent (10-for-21) from 3-point territory and 83.3 percent (15-for-18) at the free-throw stripe. The Lions posted shooting percentages of 37.0 (20-for-54) overall, 27.6 (8-for-29) from deep and 69.6 (16-for-23) at the line.
Freshman Christian Agnew scored a game-high 23 points for UNA, while fellow freshman Jamari Blackmon used up 13 shots to finish with 14 points.
The initial feeling-out process saw a timid pace through the opening five minutes of action, but a methodical 9-0 run from the home side saw FGCU build a 19-10 lead at the midway point of the first half. The largest lead of the game for the Eagles came at the 9:03 mark when they soared ahead 24-13. North Alabama slowly began to chip away throughout the remainder of the opening stanza, however, and even secured a three-point advantage before Scott knocked down a 3-point basket on FGCU's final possession to send the two sides into intermission locked at 31-31.
The steady opening 20 minutes made way to a frantic second half where the lead seesawed back and forth in the early moments. Neither team could find a cushion of more than five points all the way until Scott connected on yet another 3-pointer at the 7:06 mark to give the Green and Blue a 54-47 lead. Mercurius knocked down a rare fast-break triple with 5:42 to play to push FGCU's lead out to 59-50. UNA would not go down quietly, however, as they stifled the Eagle offense and used a 10-2 run to get within 61-60 with just two minutes to play. The home side regained its composure and immediately stretched the lead back out to seven over the next minute of action thanks to four critical points from Casimir and a layup from Catto. From that point on, clutch free throws from Catto and junior RaySean Scott Jr. sealed the game for the Green and Blue.
FGCU won the turnover battle (12-15) and also led in assists (15-6), blocks (4-1), steals (8-5), points in the paint (24-18), points off turnovers (21-10), fast-break points (11-2), and bench points (31-9).
The win was the first in school history against North Alabama. The Lions still lead the brief all-time series 3-1, but FGCU was able to exact revenge after UNA topped the Eagles 61-56 on Jan. 8 in Florence, Alabama.
Up Next:
FGCU faces a difficult test on the road at Liberty. The Eagles and Flames will lock up at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Saturday clash will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will feature a rematch from earlier this season that saw LU knock off FGCU in Fort Myers.
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