FORT MYERS, Fla. – 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).
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.
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COACH FLY
Michael Fly was introduced as the fourth FGCU men's basketball head coach on April 5, 2018. He had spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach on the Eagles' staff. In his time with the Eagles, he helped FGCU to a 190-134 record (.585 winning percentage), including six ASUN Tournament Final appearances, three NCAA Tournament victories, three ASUN Tournament titles and three ASUN Regular Season Championships, two berths in the NIT, a CIT appearance and a run to the Sweet 16. He has coached 13 all-conference selections while with the Green and Blue, including two ASUN Player of the Year honors in Sherwood Brown and Brandon Goodwin, two ASUN Defensive Player of the Year selections in Bernard Thompson and Demetris Morant and one ASUN Newcomer of the Year in Schadrac Casimir. Of the top-10 players in career points at FGCU, Fly has helped develop eight of them, including all-time leading scorer Thompson (1,835). Additionally, the Kentucky alumnus has coached both the ASUN all-time assists leader Brett Comer (845; 24th in NCAA history) and FGCU all-time leading rebounder Chase Fieler (714).
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (https://ift.tt/1E0CJiI), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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