Courtesy of FGCUAthletics.com
DeLAND, Fla. – Trailing by eight points with just over a minute remaining Saturday afternoon in the ASUN Conference opener at Stetson (7-10), the FGCU men’s basketball team (12-5) showed its grit, moxie and composure to battle back, and on a trio of Brandon Goodwin free throws with .6 of a second remaining capped an incredible 89-88 win.
In a rematch of last year’s ASUN Championship game, Stetson looked poised to exact its revenge on the Eagles when Luke Doyle hit his fourth, and final, 3-pointer of the day to put the hosts up 85-77 with 1:21 left.
Stetson took a timeout immediately, which allowed for FGCU head coach Joe Dooley to draw up a Christian Terrell 3-pointer, and the southpaw calmly followed through with 1:06 remaining as the Eagles took their final timeout down 85-80.
Out of that timeout, Stetson’s Divine Myles hit 1 of 2 free throws, and on the ensuing FGCU possession Demetris Morant secured a crucial offensive rebound, was fouled and made both attempts. Terrell then stole the inbounds pass, Goodwin was fouled and made both shots to trim the deficit to 86-84 with 36 seconds showing.
The Eagles turned up the full-court pressure again, and Terrell turned the Hatters over one more time, setting up a final frenetic 10 seconds. Goodwin tied the game at 86-86 with 9 seconds left after splitting defenders at the top of the arc and driving in for an uncontested layup. However, Stetson immediately pushed the ball into the frontcourt and converted a layup with 3.6 seconds left.
That ended up being just enough time for Goodwin. The savvy guard advanced the ball as far as he could, used a pump fake to get a defender in the air and drew a foul while attempting a 3-pointer with .6 left.
The junior transfer – who hit a game-winning shot in the closing seconds last month at Louisiana Tech – hit nothing but net on his first two attempts to tie the game, and Stetson took its final timeout. Unfazed, Goodwin hit nothing but nylon on his third attempt, and the Hatters’ final desperation heave from about three-quarters court was just off the mark.
Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) scored seven of his team-high 20 points in the final 2:41 of the game, and also finished with a game-high-tying seven assists and seven rebounds. He was followed closely by Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy) with 19 points and seven rebounds as the sophomore took advantage of just his third career start, going an efficient 8-12 from the floor.
Those two led a quintet of FGCU double-figure scorers as the balanced Eagles received 16 points each from Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) and Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS), with Morant also securing seven rebounds and Terrell passing out four assists. Antravious Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) totaled 13 points to round out the Green and Blue double-figure scorers.
“We got off to a good start, but Stetson countered and got us back on our heels in the 2nd half,” said Dooley. “We really made some plays at the end. Guys stepped up, and it wasn’t just by making free throws. It was a very competitive game.”
FGCU entered the game ranked 3rd in the nation in field goal percentage at 52.2, and once again was nearly exactly on that mark as the Eagles connected at a 51.5-percent clip (34-66). The difference for FGCU came defensively as it allowed season highs in points and field goal percentage (55.6, 35-63), but was able to escape with its fifth-straight win overall and ninth in the last 10 matchups with the Hatters.
The Eagles came into the contest leading the ASUN in rebound margin at +7.9 while Stetson was last at -7. It didn’t start that way – in fact, the Hatters were +5 through the opening 12 minutes of the game – but after that, FGCU was +11 on its way to a 35-29 edge on the glass – the 11th time it has won this year when out-rebounding its opponent.
The 89 points for FGCU were the most against a Division-I opponent this year. Under Dooley, who is in his fourth year with the Eagles, FGCU is now an emphatic 32-4 when scoring at least 80 points, and an even more impressive 59-4 when leading at the half as the Green and Blue held a 45-36 lead at intermission.
Myles scored 15 of his game-high 21 points – two off matching his career high – in the 2nd half to lead a quartet of Stetson double-figure scorers. Derick Newton and Doyle added 18 points apiece, and Leo Goodman netted 11 off the bench for the Hatters, who shot a gaudy 65.5 percent (19-29) from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
The Eagles were able to stave off that hot Stetson shooting thanks in large part to a 50-36 edge in the paint and also by committing just 10 turnovers – tied for the fewest against a D-I opponent this season. The Green and Blue also took advantage of its rebounding edge, finishing the afternoon with a 21-11 edge in second-chance points.
FGCU now leads the all-time series with Stetson, 15-7. The Hatters won the first three meetings – and four of the first five – but the Eagles have claimed 14 of the 17 contests since 2010.
The Eagles will now turn their attention toward a weekend road trip to Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, beginning just outside Atlanta with the Owls on Thursday, Jan. 12, before concluding in Nashville with the Bisons on Saturday, Jan. 14. Lipscomb won its fifth in a row with an 82-79 comeback victory at home over Kennesaw State Saturday afternoon to open league play. KSU is now 6-11, while Lipscomb is 9-9. It’ll be just the second time that FGCU will have its first three ASUN games away from home (2009-10).
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