The FGCU men’s basketball team clinched the third seed and will host an ASUN tournament game following an 80-61 victory over the Bellarmine Knights on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
After the Eagles won the opening tip, Keeshawn Kellman got the Eagles on the board as he connected on a hook shot from the low post.
Five quick points from Dallion Johnson in the form of a fadeaway jumper and a catch-and-shoot triple gave FGCU a 7-4 in the first two minutes. The Boston, Massachusetts, native hit his first four shots and scored 11 of the first 17 points for the Eagles. This start allowed the Eagles to control the tempo and their lead on the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half.
“Every time I was shooting it, it felt good,” Johnson said. “It’s always nice to make the first four shots, so I had it going and I just kept that confidence throughout.”
Johnson led the Eagles in scoring with 26 points, tying a career high. The senior guard shot 9-18 (50.0%) from the field and 8-13 (61.5%) from the three-point line.
In the dying seconds of the half, Michael Duax intercepted a Bellarmine inbound pass, allowing him to drive to the rim and finish with a scoop layup just before the buzzer. The redshirt junior forward ended the game with eight points.
The Eagles went into the locker room leading the Knights by a score of 42-34. Through the first 20 minutes of play, FGCU converted 18-36 (50.0%) from the floor and 6-15 (40.0%) from behind the arc.
Two minutes into the second half, an offensive rebound and putback score from Keeshawn Kellman ignited a 10-0 run for the Eagles. The forward finished the game with his fifth double-double of the season, as he scored 20 points with 12 rebounds. Darren Williams capped off the run with a three-pointer, giving FGCU an 18-point lead, 53-35. He ended the game with eight points.
Midway through the second half, the Knights went on an 8-0 run, reducing the Eagles’ lead to nine. This forced head coach Pat Chambers to call a timeout.
Following the timeout, the Eagles turned up the heat and responded with an 8-0 run of their own.
“We just have a tendency to scoreboard watch sometimes, to take our foot off the pedal,” Chambers said. “We have to be relentless in everything we do. There’s no complacency.”
Junior guard-forward Jevin Muniz connected on a three-point jumper with two minutes remaining in the half, increasing the FGCU lead to 21, its largest of the game.
The Eagles went 32-65 (49.2%) from the field and 13-26 (50.0%) from beyond the arc. FGCU was able to dominate on the glass, outrebounding Bellarmine 42 to 22. Sixteen of those rebounds were on the offensive side of the ball which they apitalized on to score 15 second-chance points to the Knights’ zero.
“We really try to take a step in getting better and being the best team we can be by the end of the year,” Chambers said. “I always say we got to be really clicking on all cylinders headed into March, and here we are, heading into March on a four-game winning streak.”
The Eagles look to carry this momentum into the quarterfinal round of the ASUN tournament, as FGCU will host sixth-seeded Queens (N.C.) on Monday, March 3 at Alico Arena.
