A game plagued with turnovers and missed shots, the Bonnies took control in the second half to fend off a late Eagles charge. FGCU faltered in their home opener against St. Bonaventure 75-64.
The Eagles have not had the start to the season they were looking for; they entered this matchup with two straight losses on the road against UNC Greensboro and TCU.
In those two games they fell behind early and were able to close the gap throughout the second half, however, missed shots and a struggle at rebounds resulted in both teams finding momentum to shut FGCU down.
With a packed crowd, the Eagles started the game hot leading the first three minutes leading 7-6 with baskets from Dallion Johnson, Keshawn Kellman and Jevin Muniz. This was the only lead the team had through 40 minutes as St. Bonaventure scored 11 points unanswered to make the score 17-10 five minutes into the first half.
FGCU rallied back to put the score within single digits with two shots behind the three point line and jumpers in the paint. The Eagles had the trend of sporadically getting hot before completing shutting once they got within one shot of the Bonnies. This drop in momentum came off the back of the Eagles trying to force passes that weren’t there or constant uncontested shots.
Two layups and a three pointer in the last three minutes of the half by Zach McLean put the game within four points, 38-34 St. Bonaventure, exiting the half.
The issue FGCU has faced the whole game is making plays when Kellman, Johnson and Rahmir Barno aren’t on the court together. Whenever one of them comes off the court for a break, momentum shifts in the opponent’s favor and Eagles fall behind.
Early in the second half Kellman fell into foul trouble which saw a decrease in playing time. In turn, the Eagles had to rely on shooting outside the paint which has been a struggle throughout the whole night.
The closest the Eagles got to taking the Bonnies lead was two-point gap after Rory Stewart and Micheal Duaz began to get involved. Between the both of them they accumulated 17 points, 4 steal’s, 2 blocks and 9 rebounds and were the main drivers in putting possession in the hands of the Eagles in the second half.
McLean was the highest scoring Eagle who had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and an assist. It marked his highest scoring game of the season.
Even with these stand out performances by Eagles, they ultimately lost due to 18 points scored off of turnovers and a lackluster .296 3pt-shooting percentage and a .397 field goal percentage.
“So, we got to keep them confident,” FGCU coach Pat Chambers said. “Keep shooting them. They’re eventually going to start going consistently. But we need three and four guys, we can’t always rely on Keyshawn [Kellman].”
It did not help that the majority of Eagles points came off of the bench as the veteran Eagles struggled to get involved for the majority of the game. Between Kellman, Barno and Johnson they had 24 points out of the total 64 that FGCU scored.
“We competed for 26 minutes,” Chambers said. “Unfortunately, the game’s 40. So let’s learn, let’s grow, let’s get better, and let’s get back to work tomorrow. It’s only the third game of the year. These guys are still getting to know each other.”
The Eagles return to Alico Arena for the FGCU mid-season MTE. They will face California State University Bakersfield, Northeastern University and Florida International University from Nov.22-24 in this multiple team event.
“Sometimes we get a little stuck in mud, ” Chambers said. “Keep repping it. Keep learning from these games and showing them film. If we continue to do that, there’s a win in our future real soon.”
