Liberty, FGCU start Atlantic Sun play
Liberty (14-1, 0-0) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (3-12, 0-0)
Alico Arena, Fort Myers, Florida; Thursday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Liberty and Florida Gulf Coast meet in the first Atlantic Sun game of the season for both teams. In conference play last season, Liberty finished with 14 wins and two losses, while Florida Gulf Coast won nine games and lost seven.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The Flames are led by their senior tandem of Scottie James and Caleb Homesley. James has averaged 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds while Homesley has put up 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Eagles have been led by sophomores Zach Scott and Caleb Catto, who have combined to score 22.2 points per contest.SOLID SCOTT: Scott has connected on 34 percent of the 100 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 13 of 35 over his last five games. He’s also made 82.9 percent of his free throws this season.
WINLESS WHEN: Florida Gulf Coast is 0-12 this year when it scores 68 points or fewer and 3-0 when it scores at least 69.
BEHIND THE ARC: Liberty’s Homesley has attempted 48 3-pointers and connected on 31.3 percent of them, and is 4 for 21 over the past five games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Liberty defense has allowed only 53.1 points per game to opponents, which is the second-lowest figure in the country. The Florida Gulf Coast offense has averaged just 60.9 points through 15 games (ranked 274th among Division I teams).
