The FGCU men's basketball team (4-13, 1-1 A-SUN) never trailed through 40 minutes of play as it earned a 68-61 victory over Lipscomb (6-9, 1-1 A-SUN) on Saturday night at Alico Arena. The team shot a season-best 54.2 percent from the floor as it claimed its first conference win of the year over the Bisons' squad that advanced to last year's NIT final.
"Our postgame speech was an emphatic 'Great WIN' to the team – we needed that one and it was great to see the confidence which I think will grow from here," said head coach Michael Fly. "I think we're continuing to learn and grow; it's stressful to go through that, but it will make us better in the long term. The players were really locked in today and really did a great job executing the game plan throughout the night."
The Eagles opened up the game with their best start of the 2019-20 season, using an 19-2 run to stun the Bisons. Junior Sam Gagliardi led the early scoring for the home team as he shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the opening four minutes. At the first media timeout, FGCU led Lipscomb 19-4 just 4 minutes, 12 seconds into the game.
As the Bisons started to develop their rhythm on offense, the team threatened to cut FGCU's lead into single digits when Carson Cary capitalized on an Eagle turnover. Freshman Cyrus Largie responded to the push with a trey that re-extended the lead to 26-13 with just under 12 minutes to go.
For the first time all night, Lipscomb did trim the lead down to single digits thanks to a three-ball from Andrew Fleming that brought the Bisons within seven around the five-minute mark. Sophomores Caleb Catto and Zach Scott combined for six points in the final minutes of play, allowing the home team to take a 38-27 edge into the locker room.
In the opening 20 minutes, the Eagles shot 55.2 percent from the floor and 50 percent from long range. While the teams were evenly matched with 16 points apiece in the paint, FGCU held a 7-2 advantage in second-chance points, as well as a 9-2 edge in bench points.
The teams were fairly evenly matched coming out of the break, as both sides responded to one another on offense. Eventually, the Bisons were able to string together back-to-back plays that brought them as close as seven with just over 13 minutes to go in the game, the closest that they had gotten to the home team all night.
Throughout the final minutes of play, Lipscomb held FGCU's lead to single digits. The team used a 6-0 run over a span of a little more than two minutes to make it a 65-69 game with just under two minutes left in the game. Finally, senior Tracy Hector Jr. broke the seal for the Green and Blue by capitalizing on a trip to the charity stripe. He then went on to draw a crucial charge on the other end of the court that kept the Bisons at bay.
Catto put the game away with a pair of free throws in the final seconds as the Eagles eventually held on for the win.
The FGCU bench proved to be the one of the key difference-makers in the victory, as they outshot the opposition 21-4. Gagliardi led the offense, finishing the night with 14 points and was joined in the double-digit scoring by both Catto (13) and Scott (12).
Up Next:
The Eagles will hit the road for a two-game conference swing that will feature matchups against UNF (Jan. 9) and Stetson (Jan. 11). The game against the Ospreys (9-8, 2-0 A-SUN) is set for a 7 p.m. start and will be streamed on ESPN +. FGCU and the Hatters (7-10, 1-1 A-SUN) will face off in a 4 p.m. game that will also be shown on ESPN +.
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