Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – In a match-up of two teams tied for second in the ASUN Conference, Eastern Kentucky scored the first 13 points of the game on its way to a 97-76 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at Baptist Health Arena.
 
EKU (11-7, 4-1 ASUN) will host Stetson on Saturday at 3 p.m.  At 5-0, the Hatters are the only remaining unbeaten team in the ASUN.
 
Michael Moreno put-back his own miss and then nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to cap the quick start and put EKU ahead 13-0.  FGCU missed its first seven shots from the field.  The Eagles first points came at the 15:42 mark on a pair of free throws from Dahmir Bishop.  Andre Weir's jumper 42 seconds later was their first field goal of the game.
 
Another scoring drought by Florida Gulf Coast (13-5, 3-2 ASUN), this one lasting more than two minutes, allowed the Colonels to roll off 11 straight.  Turner Buttry hit a 3-pointer on three straight possessions.  A dunk from Isaiah Cozart finished it off and put EKU on top by 19, 30-11.  Eastern Kentucky took another 19-point lead, 40-21, on a 3-pointer from the right wing by Leland Walker.
 
The Colonels led by 11 at the break, 45-34. 
 
The Eagles scored first in the second half to get within nine, but never got any closer.  A 3-pointer from the left corner by Robb stretched the margin to 18, 57-39.  After FGCU scored eight straight to get within 10, Eastern Kentucky answered with a 10-0 spurt to extend the lead to 20 for the first time.  Two more 3-pointers from Buttry made it 67-47.  Florida Gulf Coast went 2:06 without scoring.
 
Back-to-back triples by Buttry and Robb pushed the advantage to 20-plus for the first time, putting the home team ahead 93-70 with 3:06 left in the game.
 
Buttry finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from deep.  Moreno and Robb had 14 points and six rebounds each.  Cozart finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.  Dardan Kapiti contributed 11 points.
 
Isaiah Thompson led FGCU with 15 points.  Weir had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
 
The Colonels held the Eagles to 33 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent (8-for-28) from 3-point range.  Eastern Kentucky hit 49 percent of its shots and went 17-for-38 (45 percent) from long range.  EKU out-rebounded the visitors 47-41.