LAST TIME OUT: Backcourt leads FGCU Past Southeast Missouri
(Box Score on Page 28) FORT MYERS, Fla. - Behind a career-high 28 points from senior REED BAKER and a near triple-double from junior MARLON RIVERA, the FGCU men’s basketball team used a 53-point second half to defeat Southeast Missouri, 89-78, in front of 2,011 fans at Alico Arena in its home opener on Tuesday night. The backcourt duo of Baker and Rivera combined for 44 points, as the Eagles’ 89 points were their most since entering Division 1 in 2007-08 and the most since Feb. 26, 2007 when they defeated North College and State, 99-62, at Alico Arena. Baker’s 10th career 20-point game came on 10-of-12 from the field and 7-of-11 from the charity stripe, as the Naples, Fla. product registered 13 points in the first half and 15 in the final frame. Rivera finished just one assist shy of the program’s first-ever triple-double, registering 16 points, 11 rebounds and a gamehigh nine assists in 33 minutes of action. Trailing by three, 55-52, FGCU put together a game-changing 21-4 run that absorbed nearly seven minutes and resulted in the biggest lead of the contest for either team with the Eagles holding a 73-59 advantage.
HEAD COACHING MATCHUP
BOARD WORK
FGCU HEAD COACH Dave Balza @ FGCU: 144-102 (9th Season) Overall: Same Atlantic Sun: 18-38 (4th Season) Vs. Grambling: First Meeting
Not equipped with a lot of size in the paint, FGCU makes up for it by staying active on the offensive glass. Led by preseason AllConference choice ANTHONY BANKS, the Eagles ranked third in the Atlantic Sun in 2009-10 in offensive rebounds per game (13.6). The Eagles are back at it again this season, grabbing 28 offensive caroms over the first two games. FGCU has grabbed double figure offensive boards in 29 of its last 32 games, dating back to the final contest of the 2008-09 season.
GRAMBLING HEAD COACH Bobby Washington @ Grambling: 7-24 (2nd Season) Overall: same SWAC: 4-14 (2nd Season) Vs. FGCU: First Meeting
MR. EFFICIECENCY
BALANCED ATTACK
Led by senior REED BAKER'S league-leading 20 points per game, FGCU is one of three teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference to have a pair of players in the top 10 in scoring. Redshirt sophomore ANTHONY BANKS' back-to-back 16-point efforts to open the year put him in a tie for ninth in the league. Dating back to last season, either Baker or Banks has led the team in scoring seven consecutive games.
SEEING DOUBLE, ALMOST TRIPLE
Playing in just his second game at the Division I level, junior MARLON RIVERA fell just one assist shy of become the first player in FGCU history to register a triple-double. Rivera's dominating performance on both ends of the court against Southeast Missouri State featured 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists over 33 minutes. His double-double was the team's first of the year and one of eight in the A-Sun so far this season.
INSIDE-OUT THREAT
FGCU welcomes back eight players from last year's club including its top two leading scorers in redshirt sophomore forward ANTHONY BANKS (12.9 ppg) and senior REED BAKER (11.4 ppg). A combination of Banks or Baker led the Eagles in scoring 23 of 29 contests in 2009-10, while both reached double figures in the same game 12 times. Both have finished in double figures in each of the team's first two games and are tied with Lipscomb's Josh Slater and Adnan Hodzic as the highest-scoring duo in the A-Sun at 36 points per contests.
CLASS BREAKDOWNS Class Seniors (3) Juniors (4) Sophomore (4) Freshmen (5) 4
Points (Team Pct.) 46 (31%) 31 (21%) 46 (31%) 26 (17%)
After finishing second in the A-Sun in field goal percentage as a freshman in 2009-10, ANTHONY BANKS is out to take over the crown in his second campaign. Through two games, Banks sports a 69 percent (11-16) clip from the field, good for third in the conference. A career 57 percent (164-286) shooter, Banks has made 50 percent or better from the field in 23 of 31 career games.
LICENSE TO STEAL
Along with his scoring prowess, senior REED BAKER has upped his game on the defensive end with six steals over the first two games. Baker registered three steals at Indiana and did the same against Southeast Missouri to rank second in the A-Sun. For his career, Baker has 15 multi-steal games, highlighted by seven against ETSU on Jan. 12, 2009 - the second most in single-game history.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
Redshirt sophomore ANTHONY BANKS leads the charge on the offensive glass after grabbing 100 offensive caroms in 2009-10. In just 30 career games, Banks has snared five or more offensive boards in a game 10 times, including five at Indiana. The Lantana, Fla. product has grabbed an offensive rebound in 29 of 31 games and had his streak of 29 straight contests snapped against Southeast Missouri State. Banks totaled nine offensive boards against Jacksonville (Jan. 9, 2010), starting a three-game stretch in which he grabbed 21.
SCORING FRENZY
On the strength of a 53-point second half on Tuesday night against Southeast Missouri, FGCU scored a program Division I record 89 points against the Redhawks. The Eagles knocked down 56 percent (33-59) of their shots for the game; also a program D-I record.
Rebounds (Team Pct.) Assists (Team Pct.) 13 (19%) 3 (11%) 24 (34%) 15 (56%) 18 (26%) 6 (22%) 8 (11%) 3 (11%)
GAME3 - FGCU
AT
FGM-FGA (Pct.) 15-32 (47%) 12-26 (46%) 13-19 (68%) 7-26 (27%)
GRAMBLING (NOV. 20)
FT-FTA (Pct.) 14-20 (70%) 7-14 (50%) 14-23 (61%) 8-11 (73%)