RICHMOND, Ky. – Two teams tied for second place in the ASUN Conference meet when the Eastern Kentucky hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at Baptist Health Arena.
Four teams sit at 3-1 in the league – EKU, FGCU, Liberty and Kennesaw State. Stetson, who comes to Richmond on Saturday, leads the conference with a 4-0 record.
The game on Thursday is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+. The live radio broadcast of the game is available in the Richmond area on WCYO 100.7 FM, and can be heard worldwide on EKUSports.com.
Thursday will be Community Night at Baptist Health Arena. Upper-level tickets are available for $5.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Florida Gulf Coast leads the all-time series 1-0. The first meeting between the teams came last year during EKU's first season in the ASUN Conference.
- Eastern Kentucky overcame an 11-point deficit to lead four times in the second half, but couldn't hold off FGCU in a 77-73 loss on Jan. 27, 2022 in Fort Myers.
Jomaru Brown led Eastern Kentucky with 20 points.
Curt Lewis added seven points and 12 rebounds.
THE COLONELS
- Eastern Kentucky handed Liberty its first conference loss on Sunday, beating the Flames 62-59 at home to improve to 10-7 overall and 3-1 in the ASUN. The Colonels have won two straight and five of their last six games.
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Devontae Blanton has scored in double figures in each of the last five games. During that span, he is averaging 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range. The junior finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Liberty.
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Isaiah Cozart is first in the ASUN, and 36th in the country, in blocks (1.94 bpg). He is also sixth in the league in rebounding (6.76 rpg).
- Liberty was averaging the most 3-pointers in the nation (12.3/game). Eastern Kentucky held the Flames to 4-for-23 from long range (17.4 percent).
- EKU leads the ASUN, and is 35th in the nation, in scoring at 79.71 points per game.
- Eastern Kentucky is 20th in the nation in bench points, averaging 29.24 points off the bench per game.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
- Florida Gulf Coast is 13-4 this season and 3-1 in league games. The Eagles have conference wins over Jacksonville, Central Arkansas in overtime and North Florida. FGCU's lone loss was at Austin Peay by two.
- FGCU has held its opponents to 66.3 points per game, fourth-best in the ASUN.
- The Eagles are 32nd in the nation with 9.24 three-pointers per game, but have held their opponents to 33 percent shooting from deep.
- Isaiah Thompson, a 6-foot-1 senior guard who played at Purdue, averages a team-best 13.6 points per game. Zach Anderson (12.5 ppg), a 6-foot-7 junior forward, and 6-foot-3 junior guard Chase Johnston (11.9 ppg) provide a balanced scoring attack.
- Anderson is the team's top rebounder at 7.7 boards per game. Caleb Cato, a 6-foot-5 guard, is the distributor, dishing out 3.5 assists per game.
