FORT MYERS, Fla. — Pat Chambers knew his Eagles were close.
Really close.
“For one night, it came together,” said Chambers, in his second season as head coach for the Florida Gulf Coast men’s basketball team.
A frustrating November and December for the Eagles ended with a program-building win, 72-68 over #7 Florida Atlantic at Alico Arena on Saturday night. FAU came in as the highest-ranked opponent in arena history with a crowd of 4,633.
Florida Gulf Coast trailed 10-8 early in the first half before building a consistent lead through halftime. A lead that grew into the double digits before settling in at 39-30 for the break.
Every time, in the second half, when Florida Atlantic made a run, fresh off a double-overtime win vs. Arizona last week and, of course, the 2023 men’s Final Four appearance, FGCU answered back.
Tied at 62, FGCU’s Zach Anderson buried a three-pointer to get the Eagles back ahead, 65-62. He drained another three to put FGCU up 68-64 with about two minutes left.
With the game tied 68-68 and 1:13 and ticking in the second half, Dallion Johnson hit the biggest shot of the night. With enough space off a pass from Cyrus Largie, Johnson’s three-pointer pushed the Eagles to a 71-68 lead. FGCU’s defense stiffened up for the 72-68 victory.
The student section at Alico Arena, inside a building packed with both vocal FGCU and FAU fans, erupted on the court with the upset, circling the players in their moment of triumph.
“It felt good. Boom! Butter!”, Johnson told FOX 4’s Chris Earl amid the celebration on the court when asked about the biggest shot of the night. Johnson finished with 18 points as Anderson bagged 21 points, including three three-pointers, to go with 10 rebounds.
“You black out, people are jumping around and you’re shoving people,” Anderson said, amid laughs, about the post-game celebration. “It was a great feeling that everyone was here, cheering you on.”
FGCU benefitted from four players in double digits on scoring, with Cyrus Largie adding 12 points and Franco Miller, Jr. adding 10.
The Eagles’ defense kept Florida Atlantic to 4-of-20 shooting on three-pointers but the Owls did pick up 17 offensive rebounds, an element Chambers did bring up in the post-game news conference. FAU also missed 11 free throws, squandering opportunities to regain the lead in the second half.
FGCU came in having played a fierce schedule, with Indiana, Pitt, Cincinnati, UNC-Wilmington and Minnesota dotting a schedule. Difficult road games and environments that would test any squad.
“You have a plan,” Chambers said of the approach to the season. “Like Mike Tyson said, ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’. We had a plan and we wanted to play a tough non-conference. But these guys are battle-tested. Indiana, we were right there. Minnesota, we were right there. Especially on the road, we have been in some hostile environments."
FGCU improves to 6-9 to close out the calendar year and will open Atlantic Sun Conference play against Jacksonville on Thursday night, January 4. The Owls drop to 10-3 and will, likely, fall in the upcoming week’s national rankings.
