FGCU/UNA RECAP

Florence, AL- FGCU (6-15, 3-3) allowed a crucial ASUN conference game to get away from them on the road 70-65 vs UNA (8-11, 3-3) Saturday afternoon.

Overview:

FGCU really needed this ASUN conference road win vs UNA and this is a game that could come back and haunt them down the stretch.

The Eagles took a 27-26 lead to the half vs UNA and then in the 2nd half allowed 44 Lions points to go with 19 team turnovers which is uncalled for FGCU at this point in conference play. Turnovers have plagued this team and are a direct result from what we have seen in the 15 losses they have already accumulated this season.

Hot take:

Sam Gagliardi continues to start but has been a complete letdown at guard if his shot is not on from beyond the arc. We may have seen the best Brian Thomas has to offer years ago since he is injured and not really putting in true minutes on the court. Cyrus Largie continues to receive the same minutes as Zach Scott while Scott’s role as a 6th man off the bench is a complete coaching miscue. The Jalen Warren project at point guard is a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde experiment not knowing what we are going to get when #5 has the ball in his hands.  Caleb has been going off scoring lately and leading the team but after him the production continues to have a huge question mark attached to it.

Coach Fly heads into next season wondering what this roster will look like. We feel there will be a few transfers and wonder if FGCU will have the tandem of Catto/Scott that we talked about previously that could go down as one of the best tandems since we saw Brett Comer/ Bernard Thompson. With Scott’s role being off the bench and Coach Fly trusting Warren with the big minutes down the stretch and a class full of guards coming to FGCU this season it’s a wait and see approach for everyone.

Stats:

FGCU shot 47% from the field (26/55), 35% from beyond the arc (7/20), and outrebounded the Lions 28-26. The Eagles dished out 10 assists, and on the defensive side of the ball had 4 steals, and 1 block. FGCU forced 21 UNA team turnovers while finishing with 19 team turnovers of their own in the game.

Standout Players (FGCU):

Caleb Catto: 23 pts

Tracy Hector Jr: 10 pts

Jalen Warren: 9 pts

Standout Players (UNA):

Christian Agnew: 17 pts

CJ Brim: 13 pts

Merwin James: 13 pts

What’s Next:

FGCU faces NJIT (6-12, 3-2) Saturday night at 7 PM from Alico Arena. It’s a crucial game for the Eagles to win if they want to stay in contention for a home ASUN tournament game by finishing in the top 4 when the season ends.