Dunk Dynasty: FGCU tops North Florida 77-61 for NCAA berth

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) Brandon Goodwin scored 19 points and Florida Gulf Coast earned its third NCAA Tournament trip in the last five seasons with a 77-61 win over North Florida in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship game on Sunday.

Demetris Morant and Marc-Eddy Norelia each scored 14 for the Eagles (26-7), who trailed by six at the half before pulling away. Zach Johnson and Christian Terrell added 10 apiece for FGCU, which tied the program’s Division I-era record for victories in a season.

The school best known for its “Dunk City” run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 also went to the NCAAs last season, winning a First Four game before falling to eventual national finalist North Carolina.

Dallas Moore, the leading active scorer in Division I, had 19 points for North Florida (15-19). Wajid Aminu scored 11 and Garrett Sams added 10 for the Ospreys.

FGCU outscored North Florida 44-22 in the second half.

Goodwin started the second half with a three-point play and it didn’t take long for the Eagles to grab control. His free throws with 16:36 left put FGCU on top for good, and started what became a 17-7 run that set the tone for what became a championship celebration.

FGCU went 9 for 21 at the rim in the first half and went into the break down 39-33, after North Florida went on a bit of a long-range barrage. The Ospreys made three straight shots from beyond the arc late in the half – two from reserve Osborn Blount, another from Sams, and had Moore tack on three free throws not long afterward after he got fouled on a 3-point try.

But the second half was all Eagles, who knocked North Florida out of the A-Sun tournament for the second straight season.

Big picture

North Florida: The Ospreys were bidding to be the 26th team to get into the NCAA Tournament with a losing record. … UNF fell to 4-13 on the road. … The Ospreys made five of their last seven shots of the first half – then went 5 for 27 in the second half.

Florida Gulf Coast: Morant’s first dunk of the game was FGCU’s 149th of the season – one more than the original team with the “Dunk City” moniker had in their 2012-13 season that ended in the Sweet 16. … FGCU is 12-1 in its last 13 games. … Goodwin (now with 601) broke the FGCU single-season scoring record, established last year when Norelia scored 597 points.

One-sided

The rivalry between the schools has very distinct ebbs and flows. FGCU won the first six meetings, UNF won the next seven, FGCU then won five straight, UNF took the next three – and now, each of the last five have been won by FGCU.

Up next

Florida Gulf Coast awaits its NCAA Tournament matchup, to be announced March 12.

WINK News went live via Facebook as fans rushed the court:

WINK News was also live from a postgame press conference where coach Joe Dooley and players spoke about the victory: