The FGCU men’s basketball team continued its losing streak after falling to Queens (NC), 85-74, on Thursday at Alico Arena. This matchup marked the first time the two teams met since the quarterfinal round of last season’s Atlantic Sun (ASUN) tournament, which FGCU lost 71-65. The loss marked the first time under head coach Pat Chambers that FGCU has started conference play 1-4.

The Eagles (7-11; 1-4 ASUN) struggled out of the gate, falling to an 11-4 deficit by the first media timeout. Queens, on the other hand, started off by scoring on four of its first seven shots. It remained that way for the rest of the first half, with the Royals (9-8, 4-0 ASUN) answering each time FGCU scored.

By the midway point of the first half, FGCU trailed by 16 points, 26-10. The Eagles were 4-of-16 from the field and missed all six of their 3-point attempts.

FGCU was able to trim the deficit to seven points at 4:25 with a fast-break dunk from freshman guard Jordan Ellerbee. However, that momentum was short-lived, as Queens scored five unanswered points to extend its lead to 12.

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Despite FGCU’s poor shooting start, it only trailed by eight points at the break, 41-33.

The game’s momentum took a complete shift in the second half as the Eagles came out of the locker room on a 10-0 run. Forward J.R. Konieczny hit FGCU’s first 3-pointer of the game, concluding the 10-0 run for FGCU’s first lead of the game, 43-41.

FGCU’s run to open the second half was spearheaded by Isaiah Malone. The 6-foot-8 forward scored the Eagles’ first five points while also making his presence felt on the defensive end, swatting away a Queens layup attempt.

Queens opened the second half, shooting 0-for-7 from the field and did not score its first points until the 16-minute mark. One score was all it needed to build momentum, keeping the score within reach.

On the other hand, FGCU went 7-of-11 and 2-of-3 on 3-point shots through the first eight minutes of play. It went on to miss six of its next seven shots over the next five minutes and found itself trailing 65-62 with 6:32 remaining. FGCU never regained the lead past that point.

J.R. Konieczny, FGCU’s leading scorer this season, left the game with an injury at the 12:30 mark. At the time of his injury, Konieczny had seven points and the Eagles were leading 52-50.

“When it comes down to a one-possession game, you need your best player,” Chambers said. “[Not having him] hurt us in the end.”

Coming out of halftime with momentum on its side, only to fail to sustain it, has been a common theme for the Eagles recently. Similarly, in a Jan. 8 game against Austin Peay, FGCU got off to a 12-1 run to start the second half but lost 82-71.

FGCU was outscored 23-12 in the final 6:55 of the game, shooting 4-of-11 down the stretch. Still, Chambers drew positives from this game.

“I’m proud of my guys, I thought we competed,” he said. “Being down by so much early and then we fought back – they didn’t put their heads down and they kept competing.”

The Eagles will look to end their four-game homestand with a win against West Georgia (9-8, 3-2 ASUN) on Saturday, Jan. 17.

“I didn’t like our first six to eight [minutes of the first half], and I didn’t like our last four [minutes of the second half],” Chambers said. “So if we can clean up some of those areas and get back, get healthy, and see what we can do on Saturday. I’m encouraged by the way we competed tonight, though.”