Box Score FORT MYERS, Fla. – Jacksonville University men's basketball took FGCU down to the wire on the road for the second-straight year, before ultimately succumbing 72-65 in the ASUN Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Alico Arena.
 
The Dolphins (7-5, 0-1) led by 12 at halftime and by as many as 18 in the second half, but went cold at the end of the game, not scoring for the final 4:38 of the contest.
 
FGCU led by six early, but Kevion Nolan swished a three-pointer with 10:53 left in the opening half that sparked a tone-setting run. Gyasi Powell scored off an offensive rebound and hit a three of his own to give JU a brief 20-18 lead. The Eagles answered with a three before Dylan O'Hearn got a steal and buried a trifecta to put JU right back on top with 8:37 left in the opening half.
 
From there, Jordan Davis made three consecutive threes to push the JU lead to 11, 32-21, with 6:06 left. FGCU cut it to six, but a second-chance opportunity led to an Osayi Osifo dunk, Jalen Nesmith hit a floater and Davis made a layup to lead by 10 with under a minute to play. JU missed two shots on one possession, but Powell stole the ball right back and was fouled, making both free throws with six seconds left to establish a 40-28 lead at the half.
 
Osifo and Nolan both made layups early in the second half, Davis drew a foul on a jumper and converted both free throws before Nolan swished a three-pointer to extend the advantage to 49-31 with 16:46 left.
 
FGCU came back and hit its second three-pointer of the half, and started to find its rhythm after that. Another three with 14:13 remaining cut the JU lead to 10, and they got it to single-digits less than a minute later on another three. JU pushed it back to nine on a dunk by Osifo with 12:12 remaining, but the fifth made three of the half for the Eagles cut it to two possessions, 55-49, with 11:11 left.
 
An 8-0 FGCU run cut the deficit to one, and a fast-break three-pointer put the Eagles on top for the first time in the half, 57-55, with 8:11 left and forced a Jacksonville timeout. Both offenses got going after the stoppage, trading buckets and the lead changed hands four times over the next four minutes.
 
That is when both teams clamped down on defense, with the difference being FGCU using an offensive rebound to draw a foul and converting each time they went to the free throw line over the last three minutes after that, eventually salting away a seven-point win.
 
UP NEXT
 
Jacksonville plays its third game in the last week and opens up 2023 with its ASUN Conference home opener on Monday night against Jacksonville State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Swisher Gymnasium.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 
NOTABLE NUMBERS
 

• Jacksonville lost for the first time this season when leading at halftime, dropped back-to-back games for the first time all year as well, and lost a game when they led by 15 points or more for the first time in the Jordan Mincy era (last time was Feb. 20, 2020 vs. Lipscomb)
• Gyasi Powell scored a career-high 16 points and matched his career-best of six rebounds, which he has now done six times in his career
• Jordan Davis scored a season-high 16 points, also making a season-best four three-pointers
• JU lost its conference opener for the first time since the 2019-20 season, falling at North Alabama on Jan. 2, 2020
• The Dolphins used its fifth different starting lineup this season