By Jake Henning
Sports Editor
Friday night was an exciting one for both FGCU men’s and women’s basketball as they saw their first action of the year in front of Alico Arena and its fans.
Both squads held a three-point contest and then proceeded to have their own Green and Blue scrimmages. Fifty students were allowed into the arena to watch, with masks and social distancing being the required entry fee.
The women’s team started off the night with a competitive three-point contest, one that had Andrea Cecil and Alyssa Bair neck and neck in the finals. Cecil would go on to win, giving the first year Eagle a great introduction to the school’s fans.
Following Cecil’s three-point contest win, they held an intrasquad scrimmage in which several new Eagles made a big splash.
Ohio State transfer Kierstan Bell, led the Blue squad a game-high 12 points, only playing the first half, which led the Blue team to a 26-20 victory. Junior guard Tanner Bryant would add seven points to the team’s total, giving fans a new look on FGCU’s guard play.
Even in a loss for the Green squad, newcomer Tishara Morehouse and Andrea Cecil combined for 16 points with nine and seven, respectively.
Following the women’s scrimmage, the FGCU’s men’s basketball team came on to put up a three-point contest of their own.
Junior guard Caleb Catto, just recently named to the All-ASUN Preseason Team, reigned supreme as he took the crown in the finals with 18 points, beating three-point specialist Sam Gagliardi.
The men’s team then split up their squad and went head-to-head which had a bunch of highlight plays. The Blue Team secured an exciting 30-20 win, while taking the lead 18-8 at halftime.
Senior Justus Rainwater, along with some flashy dunks, led the Blue squad with a total of ten points. Both Catto and Ole Miss transfer Franco Miller Jr. contributed three-pointers, giving the fans a preview of the season just under three weeks away.
The men’s team will host their first game of the year when they play Florida A&M at Alico Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. The women’s team has their first game set for Friday, Nov. 27, but is trying to schedule a game before that date.