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•2/27/2025
The FGCU men's basketball team took care of business Wednesday night at Alico Arena and secured another game on its home court.
For the first time under coach Pat Chambers, the Eagles will host an ASUN Tournament game they secured the conference's third seed with an 80-61 win over Bellarmine.
A four-game win streak fueled a late charge up the standings for the Eagles, as they went from being tied for fifth to sole possession of third in 10 days, behind No. 1 Lipscomb and No. 2 Central Arkansas.
“That's why they brought me here, to keep the program consistent, bring in the right players, and compete at a high level,” said Chambers, in his third season. “I think it's great for the fans, obviously great for our players and families, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
FGCU will host No. 6 seed Queens (N.C) on Monday at 7 p.m. in what has become a playoff tradition for Chambers’ Eagles. Since the Royals joined the ASUN, their rivalry has been one-sided as they have a 5-2 record against the Eagles. The two most notable games are in tournament play as Queens defeated FGCU in 2023 and 2024 in the ASUN First Round 61-55 and 69-63, respectively, to end the Eagles' first two seasons under Chambers.
FGCU last reached the ASUN quarterfinal round in 2022 and has not hosted a quarterfinal game since 2019.
“I think it's really good for us,” Dallion Johnson said. “We got home-court advantage. Fans are awesome. Environment is amazing, and it's good for the program as well. Hopefully, we can continue that in the future.”
The Eagles (18-13,13-5 ASUN) started the game by trading the first four baskets with the Knights. However, Dallion Johnson got hot, scoring 11 of his 23 points in three minutes to lead the Eagles on a 13-2 run. A layup by Rory Stewart gave the Eagles their largest lead of the first half with 13 points, 19-6.
This high-powered offense was quickly shut down for the rest of the first half as the Eagles went on two separate scoring droughts in the final 10 minutes. These droughts were only separated by a five-point scoring run, with a dunk by Keeshawn Kellman and a three-pointer by Jack Reddick. Kellman ended the game with 16 points.
Although Bellarmine (5-26, 2-16 ASUN) ended the first half on an 8-4 run to make the game an eight-point, 42-34, affair, FGCU exited the locker room hot. Through the first nine minutes of the second half, the Eagles went on a 13-4 run. Kellman played a large part, with tip-in layups and a dunk.
Defensively, the Eagles' interior slowed the Knights' offense to a standstill. When they got in the paint, the ball went the other way, whether it was a turnover, steal, or defensive rebound. A 22-15 Eagles run over the last nine minutes put Bellarmine to rest.
“We're coming together,” Chambers said. “We still can get better, which is so exciting. I keep telling them we haven't played our best basketball yet. So hopefully that'll come on Monday.”
When Dallion Johnson finds momentum beyond the arc, defenders have a hard time slowing him down.
Nearly every FGCU scoring run started off the back of a Johnson three-pointer. He was 50% (9-18) from the field and 61.2% (8-13) from beyond the arc to tie his career high of 26 points, which also came against Bellarmine earlier in the season. In the 10 games Johnson scored 20-plus points this season the Eagles won eight, seven of which were by double-digits.
“Definitely feels good," Johnson said. “I'm always working hard and just trusting my work. So it's not anything to get down about. Just keep working and I'd see better results.”
If it weren’t for the Eagle's high-pressure interior defense, their game against the Knights would have been closer solely off turnovers. Through 40 minutes, the Knights score 13 points off nine turnovers.
“In turnovers, we're so eager to share the ball," Johnson said. “Sometimes we're making risky passes. But you know, we know we're such an unselfish team. And I know we're gonna, I know we're gonna keep working on that get better.”
Turnovers have been detrimental in recent games, as when FGCU has been on a scoring run, a turnover stalled the momentum for several minutes. It was apparent against Bellarmine as it allowed it to get within single digits after the Eagles went on double-digit scoring runs. The final run to the end of the game saw one turnover by FGCU in the final nine minutes, compared to eight in the other 31.
Outside Johnson, the Eagles shot 38% (5-13) from 3-point range. FGCU sits eighth in three-pointers made among ASUN members. If Johnson has a bad game, the Eagles need to find someone they can rely on to take on his long-distance shooting role.