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Friday, November 15, 2024

Men’s Basketball Takes On New ASUN Member Austin Peay

Caleb

Caleb Catto / Guard | Florida Gulf Coast University

Caleb Catto / Guard | Florida Gulf Coast University

The FGCU men's basketball team (12-3 overall, 2-0 ASUN) looks to extend its winning streak to six games Thursday night when it takes on Austin Peay (6-9, 0-2) at the Winfield Dunn Center. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the game is available for viewing on ESPN+. 

FGCU rallied to force overtime Monday night en route to outlasting Central Arkansas 84-79 in Conway, Ark. The victory was the first OT triumph in 2022-23 for the Green & Blue and was the Eagles' 10th victory in their last 11 games.

As a result, FGCU joins Liberty, Kennesaw State and Stetson as the only remaining ASUN teams without a conference loss. Austin Peay – which competed for 61 seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference until moving to the ASUN for this season – has lost four straights, including back-to-back road decisions at Queens (N.C.) and North Florida.

The Governors were unsuccessful in their only overtime appearance this season, falling to North Florida 90-85 in OT on Saturday. Sophomore guard Sean Durugordon tallied career-highs in points (27), field goals made (11), and field goal attempts (19) and tied career-highs in 3-pointers made (4) and rebounds (10) for his second-career double-double in the loss.

Sophomore center Elijah Hutchins-Everett leads Austin Peay in scoring at 14.3 points per game, while redshirt sophomore forward Shon Robinson is close behind at 14.0 points per game and Durugordon adds 13.5 points per outing. Hutchins-Everett pulls down a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game (which is fourth in the ASUN), and Durugordon drags in 5.9 boards per contest. Senior guard Carlos Paez is fifth in the ASUN with 58 assists per game.

FGCU lost its only other meeting against Austin Peay, falling 67-57 in the South Padre Island Invitational on Nov. 23, 2007. Senior guard/forward Casey Wohlleb poured in a season-high 23 points in the loss.

The Green & Blue surged past Central Arkansas on Monday night following a thrilling end to regulation, as graduate guard Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) converted on a four-point play to tie it at 75 with 13.3 seconds to play. FGCU then went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line in overtime and forced Central Arkansas into seven misses from the floor during the extra session to secure the win.

Catto finished with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists for his first career double-double, the first points-assists double-double for an Eagle since Tavian Dunn-Martin's 19 points and 13 assists vs. Kennesaw State on Feb. 16, 2022. Catto canned all three of his 3-point attempts, added six rebounds, and snared two steals in a season-high 41 minutes.   

Four Eagles finished with double digits against the Bears. Sophomore center Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) was one rebound shy of a double-double with a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) scored 19 points, making four of FGCU's 12 3-pointers, and snagged a game-high four steals. Junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) finished with 11 points in the game, and his twisting layup in OT marked his 1,000th career point.

Thompson leads FGCU with 14.0 points per game, while junior forward Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) – who was named the ASUN Player of the Week hours before Monday's win – is just behind Thompson in the scoring column with 12.7 points per game. Anderson is the Eagles' top rebounder with 7.5 per outing, a figure that ranks him third in the ASUN.  

Catto leads FGCU with 52 assists and now has 310 for his career. Johnston second in the ASUN and is tied for 51st nationally with 28 steals. Senior forward Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) is fourth in the ASUN with 1.1 blocks per game and has 98 total for third place on FGCU's career list. 

All but two of FGCU's 12 victories this season have come when its opponent scores 65 or fewer points. FGCU averages 73.3 points per game while allowing opponents 67.3 per outing. FGCU makes 9.4 3-pointers per game and allows opponents 7.7 triples per outing.  

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.  
 
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS, MINI PLANS AVAILABLE
Tickets for the 2022-23 FGCU Basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased by going online to www.FGCUTickets.com or calling 866-FGCU-TIX. Group tickets can also be purchased for 10 or more people – making a memorable evening for families, businesses, or other organizations.
 
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
COACH CHAMBERS
Pat Chambers was officially introduced as the fifth FGCU men's basketball head coach in March 2022 bringing a wealth of experience in college basketball highlighted by head coaching stints at Penn State and Boston University. Chambers spent nine years leading the Penn State (2011-20) program and two years as head coach at Boston University (2009-11). He has 202 career victories in that span including four 20-plus win seasons. Part of his career as a head coach was highlighted by leading the Nittany Lions to a No. 9 national ranking in 2019-20 which tied the program's best-ever ranking set in 1996. Prior to becoming a head coach, he spent five seasons as part of the Villanova staff helping the Wildcats to a Final Four (2009), two Elite Eight, and three Sweet Sixteen appearances during his tenure.
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.    

Original source can be found here.

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