ASUN Men’s Basketball Preview: North Alabama at Florida Gulf Coast

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Interstat) — Two ASUN Conference teams seeking momentum will meet Thursday when the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles host the North Alabama Lions at Alico Arena.

The matchup is a quick rematch from Jan. 3, when Florida Gulf Coast (8-13) secured a 72-55 road victory over North Alabama (6-12). Both teams enter on losing streaks, with the Lions having dropped three straight and the Eagles four of their last five.

North Alabama, under first-year coach Tony Pujol, has struggled defensively during its skid, allowing an average of 90.7 points in losses to Queens, Jacksonville and North Florida. The Lions will lean on guard Kevin de Kovachich, who has been a bright spot. He is averaging 16.0 points over his last three games, including a 19-point effort against North Florida on Jan. 15.

Florida Gulf Coast, led by coach Pat Chambers, has faced similar consistency issues but boasts a defensive presence in forward Isaiah Malone. Malone dominated the first meeting with North Alabama, posting 11 points and eight rebounds. He is coming off a 23-point, six-rebound performance in a loss to Lipscomb on Jan. 23 and has recorded multiple blocks in five of his last eight games.

The Eagles will look to protect their home court, where they are 6-5 this season. North Alabama, just 1-9 on the road, must find an answer for Malone and improve its offensive flow after shooting just 32.8% from the field in the January loss to FGCU.

Both teams are in the bottom half of the ASUN standings and view this as a critical opportunity to halt their slides before the conference schedule intensifies in February.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST Thursday at Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.