FGCU men visit Bellarmine, women host Central Arkansas in ASUN showdowns
The FGCU men's basketball team will look to rebound from one of its worst defensive showings of the season when it visits Bellarmine Saturday while the women's basketball team seeks to stay unbeaten in the ASUN Conference when it hosts Central Arkansas. Here's a closer look at the matchups.
FGCU men (13-5, 3-2) at Bellarmine (7-11, 2-3)
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Series: Bellarmine leads 4-0
What to know – FGCU: The Eagles allowed a season-high 97 points in a 21-point loss at Eastern Kentucky Thursday. The Colonels, who came into the game as the ASUN's top-scoring offense, drained 17 3-pointers and shot nearly 49% from the field against FGCU, who slipped to fifth-place in the conference standings following the loss. Sophomore center Andre Weir was a bright spot for the Eagles, notching his second consecutive double-double against Eastern Kentucky with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. FGCU, now 4-5 in true road games, will look to even that mark at Bellarmine. The Eagles have never defeated the Knights, who swept both games last season, including an 81-68 win in Lexington. Bellarmine: The Knights have lost five of their past seven games, including Thursday's 80-51 loss at Stetson, the ASUN's lone unbeaten team in conference play. Bellarmine is averaging 67 points per game, 13th among the 14 ASUN teams and is last in the conference in rebounding, averaging 28.9 per game. Redshirt senior Garrett Tipton is the only Knights player averaging double-figures in scoring at 13 points per game on 51.5% shooting from the field. Scott Davenport is in his 18th season as Bellarmine's head coach and is the program's winningest coach with an overall record of 405-141. Last year, Davenport guided the Knights to a 20-win season and the ASUN Tournament Championship. However, because Bellarmine was in the second of a four-year transitional period from Division II to Division I, the Knights were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament and regular-season conference champion Jacksonville State received the ASUN's automatic bid. Before Bellarmine moved to Division I play in 2020-21, Davenport led the team to 11 consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, including four final fours and a national title win in 2011.
North Alabama (6-8, 1-2) at FGCU women (15-2, 3-0)
Central Arkansas (6-9, 1-3) at FGCU women (16-2, 4-0)
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Series: FGCU leads 1-0
What to know – Central Arkansas: The Sugar Bears have lost four of their past five games, including a 57-47 setback at Stetson Thursday. Central Arkansas averages just 52.9 points per game, last in the ASUN and has made a conference low 40 3-pointers. Freshman guard Parris Atkins leads Central Arkansas in scoring (11.6 points per game) and steals (1.9) while junior forward Kierra Prim averages 9.1 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game. Sandra Rushing is in her 11th season as head coach of the Sugar Bears and has a record of 182-136 at Central Arkansas. FGCU: The Eagles stayed unbeaten in ASUN play Thursday by topping North Alabama 74-51 at Alico Arena. FGCU outscored the Lions 45-23 in the second half to win its eighth game in a row. Fifth-year guard Kaela Webb had seven points in the victory to up her career scoring total to 994 points. She is poised to join four other Eagles players (Sha Carter, Uju Ezeudu, Tishara Morehouse and Sophia Stiles) in the career 1,000-point club. The Eagles won their lone meeting last season with Central Arkansas, 71-44.
Connect with Dan DeLuca: @News-PressDan (Twitter), ddeluca@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: FGCU basketball: Men face Bellarmine, women host Central Arkansas
