In desperate need of a win to secure a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship tournament, the FGCU men's basketball team defeated Queens (N.C.) in its final regular season game Saturday at Alico Arena. In the battle, they quickly fell into a double-digit deficit.
During the first media timeout, senior forward Keyshawn Kellman said the message conveyed was simple: “Keep calm and start scoring.”
“Just stay calm,” he said. “At the end of the day, we know who we are and what we're capable of. Keep fighting.”
The Eagles did just that, delivering their best offensive performance of the season to earn their first win over the Royals, 90-81.
“It was great to see us make the shots,” FGCU coach Pat Chambers said. “And I thought we played tough and physical tonight.”
After Queens got off to a strong start, the Eagles tightened up their defense and the Royals connected on six of their first seven field goal attempts, including three. Queens went just 20-of-54 (37%) from the field the rest of the game.
Junior Zach Anderson scored a career-best 26 points for FGCU (12-17, 6-8), and Kellman added 18 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Junior guard AJ McKee had 22 points for the Royals (12-18, 6-9).
With this win, the Eagles ended their losing streak at two and moved up to seventh place in the ASUN standings. The top 10 teams in the conference qualify for the championship tournament.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday's game.
Anderson back on track
The 6-foot-7 forward had a big game against Queens after scoring just 18 points combined in FGCU's past three games. Anderson made 10-of-14 shots, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range.
“I think it’s been really good for him and his conference the last two weeks going into the playoffs,” Chambers said of Anderson. “He was just struggling with his shot and players were bodying him and chasing him. Queens tried to do the same thing, but I think he adjusted.”
Eagles control ASUN tournament destiny
Saturday's win over Queens was crucial as it prevented the Royals from sweeping the season series against the Eagles, which would have given them the edge in the tiebreaker. FGCU also has two remaining games in the regular season, road contests against North Florida and Jacksonville next week, to determine its own fate.
“I think we control what we can control,” Chambers said. “We can't look at the scoreboard. That's going to be our mindset going into next week.”
Five FGCU players will be honored on Senior Night.
The Eagles recognized five seniors during the pregame ceremony: forwards Kellman and Dakota Rivers, and guards Silas Largey, Franco Miller Jr. and Isaiah Thompson. All players received a framed jersey from Chambers.
The coach also opted to start against Queens. The unfamiliar lineup may have contributed a little to the Royals' strong start, especially as the Queens got a lot of uncontested offensive looks in their early surge.
“I always want to do the right thing, even though I feel like this is a must-win game, it's my last home game and it's a big game that could lead to a playoff opportunity.” Chambers said.
Other than Kellman, who transferred from Princeton following last season, all of FGCU's other seniors have been with the program for at least four years, with Rivers and Largey spending five years with the Eagles.
“That doesn't happen anymore,” Chambers said of the increased movement of players in college basketball thanks to the transfer portal. “I was happy for them. It's always nice to meet their families and I know how special it is to them.”
Kellman said he can't believe his only season at FGCU is already coming to an end. “Everything went by so quickly,” he said. “But I'm enjoying every moment here at FGCU. Being on the court, being with my guys, being in the community. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.”
