The FGCU men’s basketball team just needed a little more. A little more offense. A little more defense. A little more accuracy at the free-throw line.
Cleveland State had a little more of all three, and it was enough to end the Eagles’ season as the Vikings won the CBI semifinal 72-65 Tuesday night at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
The Eagles finished their 2024-25 campaign with a 19-15 record and its first postseason tournament appearance under third-year head coach Pat Chambers.
Trailing 66-62, Tristan Guillouette hit a layup with 2:39 left, and after a stop, Jevin Muniz was fouled and had two shots to tie the game. He converted only one of the two free throws to pull the Eagles within 66-65 with 59 seconds left.
That would be the last point the Eagles would score. A Dylan Arnett layup gave Cleveland State (23-12) a three-point lead. Je’shawn Stevenson (17 points) and Tahj Staveskie (16 points) converted their free throw attempts as the Vikings closed the game on a 6-0 run.
That disparity at the line took its toll on the Eagles as Cleveland State converted 20 of 23 attempts while FGCU hit 8 of 14 for the game.
The Eagles had four players finish with double-digit scoring, led by Muniz with 16, Duax with 15, Guillouette with 12 and nine rebounds, and Dallion Johnson with 10 points, including his 1,000th career point.
Cleveland State built a 36-29 lead at the half as FGCU hit only 1 of 9 3-point attempts and converted just 2 of 4 free throws while the Vikings hit three 3-pointers and 13 of 14 free throws.
The Eagles came out aggressive on both ends of the floor in the second half and took a 40-39 lead on a Duax 3-pointer just 3:06 in. The teams would trade small leads and ties for the next 10 minutes as a Johnson jumper gave FGCU its final lead at 60-57 with 7:17 left. A Stevenson 3-pointer tied the game and started a 7-0 Vikings lead that they would not relinquish.
Cleveland State out of the Horizon League will face Illinois State, a 78-73 winner over Incarnate Word, at 5 p.m. for the tournament title.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU men’s basketball falls to Cleveland State in CBI semifinal
