Florida Gulf Coast whips Northern Kentucky 92-72

Mar 1, 2014, 03:13 pm

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. -- Chase Fieler scored 22 and Florida Gulf Coast made short work of Northern Kentucky in a 92-72 win on Saturday that gave the Eagles a share of their first Atlantic Sun Conference title with Mercer and the top seed when the tournament starts on Tuesday.

The Eagles (20-11, 14-4) used a 9-0 run to break away from a 5-5 tie and closed the half with an 11-1 run for a 46-28 lead.

Brett Comer had 15 points for FGCU with Bernard Thompson adding 14 and Jamail Jones 12.

Jalen Billups had a career-high 20 points for the Norse (9-21, 5-13) with Tyler White adding 18.

Florida Gulf Coast, picked to win the league after last year's NCAA tournament run, shot 60 percent in the first half and finished at 56 percent. They also made 20 of 26 free throws and dominated the boards 39-21, including 15-6 on the offensive end.