Lee Today

Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics issued the following announcement on Nov. 10.

Eagles close first half on 14-0 run, hit 13-of-18 field goals in final 9:34 of the first half.

Led by a career-high 20 points from Victor Rosa (Naranjito, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy), the FGCU men's basketball team picked up a 94-57 over Florida National on Tuesday evening to officially get the 2021-22 campaign underway. The Eagles improved to 1-0 on the year, while the Conquistadors remain 1-2 with the game counting as an exhibition.

Rosa's scoring outburst led all players as he knocked down five three-pointers while also going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. The sophomore added four rebounds and an assist in just over 19 minutes of time.

"I was encouraged tonight just by being back in the building - seeing the student section and seeing our fans. Last year was so difficult on so many across the world, so just being back in the normalcy of a basketball game being fun was uplifting," said head coach Michael Fly. "We got off to a slow start which I think can be expected this time of year. I was happy to see some guys who I think have worked really hard get some opportunities tonight. Overall it was fun, but now it's on to Loyola and our prep for Saturday."

Along with Rosa's performance, senior Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill/Bloom HS/Tulsa) and junior Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy) each scored 11 points while Franco Miller, Jr. (Freeport, Bahamas/Crestwood Prep/Ole Miss) chipped in 10 points. Of the 13 players who dressed, 11 scored at least a single field goal on the night.

Redshirt sophomore Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna Prep/Richmond) was impressive on the glass with 10 rebounds, while four others snagged five as part of a 50-to-29 advantage.

The Eagles also had 24 assists on 34 field goals, led by sophomore Luis Rolon (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy) and junior Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Academy) who each had six with Rivers also chipping in nine points.

The Conquistadors kept it close 15 minutes into the game as they were down just four with under six minutes to go before halftime, but a 14-0 FGCU run late in the first half helped give the Eagles a 43-24 lead as the two teams headed into the locker room. That run was part of a stretch where FGCU hit 13-of-18 field goals in the final 9:34 before the break.

FNU was led by Nicolas Girondin who had 12 points and nine points from Reggie Perez.

Overall for the game, FGCU hit 34-of-65 field goals (52%), while FNU was 22-of-61 (36%) from the floor. FGCU's size advantage in the paint aided in the plus-21 rebound margin which helped equate to 16 second change points (2 for FNU) and 24 fastbreak points (6 for FNU).

The Eagles will next head to Chicago on Saturday afternoon for a match-up with another Cinderella program. While FGCU became nationally known for becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 in 2013, Loyola Chicago captured basketball fans' attention when they reached the Final Four in 2018. The Ramblers are the defending Missouri Valley Champions and appeared in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals before falling to Oregon State. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Chicago and streamed on ESPN3.com. Tip off is set for 2 PM (1 PM CT).

Original source can be found here.