Lee Today

Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics recently issued the following announcement.

Eagles hit 26-of-33 from the charity stripe, including 11-of-12 in OT, in win over Big Green.

Kevin Samuel [Codrington Village, Barbuda/Redemption HS (Texas)/TCU] had his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy) added 17 points to lead the FGCU men's basketball team past Dartmouth, 78-68, in overtime at Alico Arena on Saturday night. The Eagles improved to 7-3 overall, while the Big Green fell to 3-3 on the year.

Samuel's 19 points marked a new season-high as he hit 7-of-11 field goal attempts, while he cleared double-figure rebounds for the third straight games. He also had a pair of steals and blocks in the game.

"I thought we had a number of guys step up tonight and that's what we expect; the strength of our team is our numbers and depth," said head coach Michael Fly. "It's hard sometimes in a game like this where you have a lead late in regulation to be forced into overtime. Our guys showed a lot of fortitude not get down and find a way to win."

Largie finished the night with 17 points to go with six rebounds and three steals. Matt Halvorsen (Kingsport, Tenn./Christ School/Western Carolina) notched 13 points, with a team-high three triples, while Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington HS/Akron/Duquesne) had 11 points. Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) rounded out the top performers with a career-best 11 rebounds.

Dartmouth was led by Brendan Barry who scored a game-high 26 points on the strength of six three pointers. Asryn Rai posted 18 points and seven rebounds, while Taurus Samuels rounded out the top performers with 12 points.

The Big Green carried a 36-30 lead into the intermission thanks in part to a tough shooting start from deep for the Eagles who went 2-of-12 from deep.

In the second half, the Eagles put together a 13-to-3 run as Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill./Don Bosco Institute/Triton College/Tulsa), Halvorsen and Dunn-Martin all hit three-pointers to put FGCU up 52-45 with 6:36 to go. The Green and Blue carried a six point lead into the final 30 seconds of regulation, but Dartmouth converted three free throws before Barry drilled a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to force the overtime session.

In the overtime, FGCU used a 9-to-0 run to go up 72-64 at the 1:01 mark. After a pair of Dunn-Martin free throw, Halvorsen hit four straight in the final 28 seconds to seal the win.

Overall, the Eagles converted 26-of-33 free throws compared to 8-of-10 for the Big Green. FGCU finished the night going 6-of-25 from three-point range, while Dartmouth was 10-of-33. The game featured seven lead changes and seven ties.

FGCU will play its next two games on the road starting Tuesday night at Florida A&M (7 PM) before then heading to Robert Morris on Saturday, Dec. 11 (7 PM).

For complete coverage of FGCU men's basketball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MBB and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's basketball and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

Original source can be found here.