The ROAD TO MSG
@FGCU_MBB In fographic Ga me Note s
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Dajuan Graf recorded a career high with six steals in the A-Sun Championship quarterfinal against Stetson, and Bernard Thompson grabbed a career-high-tying six pilfers of his own in the semifinal versus ETSU. Both totals were just one shy of tying the all-time A-Sun tournament single-game record.
In its first three seasons, FGCU advanced to the A-Sun title game all three years. The Green and Blue went 2-0 in 2012 as a No. 6 seed before losing to Belmont in the final and then won all three of their games as a No. 2 seed en route to the title in 2013. The Eagles advanced to the tournament final again this year as the No. 1 seed, winning their first two games before dropping the final game. FGCU eliminated Mercer on its home court in the semifinals in 2012 and final in 2013 before Mercer returned the favor this year on FGCU’s home court. FGCU’s 7-2 record (.777 winning percentage) is the best in A-Sun Championship history among current league members.
HOW WE GOT HERE
FGCU earned the automatic berth to the NIT by virtue of its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Championship. Each regular-season conference champion receives an automatic trip to the NIT if it does not win its respective conference tournament. FGCU and Mercer both finished 14-4 in the A-Sun, and the league NIT tiebreaker goes to the team which advances further in the tournament without winning the title.
With Brett Comer reaching 1,000 career points at the end of February, FGCU is now one of only eight teams in the nation which starts three different 1,000-point scorers. Chase Fieler and Bernard Thompson are the other two with 1,298 and 1,379 points, respectively, to go along with Comer’s 1,069. Fellow Atlantic Sun Conference members Mercer and USC Upstate are two of the other seven teams nationally to boast three 1,000-point starters.
1Kx3
Record Rebounding
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Against USF on Dec. 17, Nate Hicks set the program’s D-I program record with 19 rebounds - all on the defensive end - while tying the all-division mark.
PERFECT FROM THE FLOOR Eric McKnight went a program-record 11-11 from the floor against Jacksonville on Feb. 6 and now has three games this year already with at least five makes (5-5, 7-7) from the field without a miss (no FGCU player even had one such game prior to this year) … Louisiana-Lafayette’s Shawn Long has the national mark for made field goals without a miss this year as he went 1212 against D-III Centenary (La.) on Dec. 17 ... McKnight’s performance is the best in the country this year versus a D-I opponent ... in addition, Nate Hicks went 5-5 against Kennesaw State, giving the Eagles four different individual games of at least 5-5 from the field this season.
QUICK HITTER
45% 27 of 60
FGCU has claimed 45 percent (27
Chase Fieler: Is the only player in FGCU history with at least 1,000 career of 60) of its all-time A-Sun vicpoints and 600 career rebounds, and Fieler has 700 rebounds. He needs tories in the last two seasons. The Eagles joined the league in two points to reach 1,300 points and his 712 career rebounds are 123 2007-08 and went 13-5 last year more than any other player (Sherwood Brown, 589). and 14-4 this season. 5 # Du n k C it y