FGCU men rout Lipscomb to reach ASUN Basketball Tournament semifinals
The Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball team erupted with a 17-0 first-half run and never looked back en route to a 77-53 win over Lipscomb in the ASUN Tournment quarterfinals on March 6 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
The Eagles (16-17) had four players score in double-digits in the win, led by Rahmir Barno, who had 18 points and zero turnovers. J.R. Konieczny added 12 points and 11 rebounds with Isaiah Malone (17 points) and Jordan Ellerbee (11 points) also delivering standout performances.
The 24-point win was FGCU 's largest ever margin of victory over Lipscomb and avenged two regular-season defeats to the Bisons.
"This is really about resiliency," Eagles head coach Pat Chambers said. "That last four minutes of the first half, we're on our heels a little bit. They made a great run and I really thought we showed our character in the second half, that first four or five minutes.
"We showed that we're not going anywhere and we're becoming the team that we think we can be by the end of the season… great job by the whole group."
The Bisons' lone lead of the game was at 2-0. FGCU's Michael Duax (8 points, 8 rebounds) immediately responded with a dunk that collapsed the goal's stanchion and forced a stoppage in play. Konieczny knocked down a triple on the next possession to give FGCU the lead and set the tone for the afternoon. Lipscomb made a layup with 14:30 remaining in the half that cut the lead to 15-14 before FGCU took full control. The Eagles soared to a 17-0 run, their best of the season. Duax and Malone each had dunks during the run; Malone, Darren Williams and Rory Stewart all hit 3-pointers to make it a 32-14 FGCU lead.
During that stretch, Lipscomb had three turnovers and missed six 3-pointers.
The Bisons drew closer at the halftime break to cut the lead to 36-27, and got as close as 41-36 in the second half with 16:47 to go. FGCU responded with another dominant run, going on a 15-0 sprint to go up 56-36 and retake any glimmer of momentum that may have shifted to the Bisons.
Ellerbee gave FGCU a 20-point cushion for good when he hit a layup to make the score 63-43 with 7:10 to play, and the Eagles rolled to a 77-53 victory.
Lipscomb was led by Ross Candelino, who scored 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.
With the victory, FGCU advances to the ASUN Tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Eagles will face top-seed Central Arkansas (21-11) at 5 p.m. on March 7.
On March 4, Konieczny scored 29 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to lead FGCU past North Alabama, 69-58 in the ASUN quarterfinals and hand Chambers his first ASUN Tournament victory.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU men's basketball beats Lipscomb in 2026 ASUN Tournament quarterfinal
