The Bellarmine Knights are set for a tough test this week as they play host to the league-leading Stetson Hatters and the 13-4 FGCU Eagles. Bellarmine will face off against the Hatters on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Freedom Hall, followed by a matchup against the Eagles on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Thursday’s game will showcase both reigning ASUN weekly honorees, as Bellarmine’s Garrett Tipton was named Player of the Week and Stetson’s Luke Brown earned Newcomer of the Week honors. Tipton averaged 22 points per game in three ASUN contests last week, including a career-high 27-point performance against Queens. Brown helped the Hatters to three conference wins and scored 26 points in an overtime victory against North Alabama.
Stetson (9-6, 4-0 ASUN) got off to a solid start to the season by defeating Florida State and South Florida, but went 5-6 in non-conference play. However, they have been perfect thus far in ASUN competition, with two of their league victories coming in overtime. The Hatters defeated North Alabama in their last outing, 95-85, and also knocked off Lipscomb in extra time, claiming an 86-80 road victory in their conference opener on Dec. 30. Other ASUN victims for the Hatters this year were North Florida and Jacksonville, both games coming on their home court at the J. Ollie Edmunds Center.
Leading the Stetson offense are three Indiana natives: Jalen Blackmon, Luke Brown, and Josh Smith, all of whom average in double digits. Blackmon, the son of former Kentucky Wildcat James Blackmon, leads the trio with an 11.9 points per game average, followed by Brown at 11.3 and Smith at 10.7. Smith, a 6-8 forward, leads the Hatters in rebounding with 6.7 per game. Stephan Swenson leads the ASUN in assists with an average of just under five per game, and Wheza Panzo is one of the most accurate 3-point shooters in the conference, ranking second with a 51.3 percent success rate.
After entertaining the team with the best conference record on Thursday, the Knights will host the ASUN team with the best overall record on Saturday, when the 13-4 FGCU Eagles come to town. The only losses on the Eagles’ schedule this season have come against Tennessee, San Diego, Florida Atlantic, and a two-point loss to Austin Peay in conference play. FGCU started the season off with a win over USC in Los Angeles, an auspicious beginning to the coaching tenure of Pat Chambers.
Leading the Eagles’ offense are two newcomers, Isaiah Thompson and Chase Johnston. Thompson, a 6-1 senior guard, tops the FGCU scoring list with a 13.6 average and has made 42 of 105 attempts from 3-point range. Johnston, who transferred from Stetson, is averaging 11.9 points per game for the Eagles and was the 2021 ASUN Freshman of the Year and 2022 Second Team All-ASUN selection.
Chambers is also getting contributions from several returning players, including 6-7 forward Zach Anderson, who leads the Eagles in rebounding with a 7.7 average while putting up 12.5 points per game. Caleb Catto, in his fifth season with the Eagles program, leads the team in assists with 3.5 per game while playing nearly 31 minutes per contest.
