GAME NOTES: After wins in the semifinal round of the Gulf Coast Showcase Tuesday, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the Green Bay Phoenix will battle for the tournament title in a non-conference affair at Germain Arena Wednesday.

Florida Gulf Coast advanced to a perfect 5-0 when the team knocked off San Francisco on Tuesday, 62-47. The Eagles were masterful on defense, holding the Dons to under 30 percent shooting in the contest. FGCU is looking to start the season a perfect 6-0.

Green Bay slipped past East Carolina on Monday in the first round of the tournament, and then gutted out a two-point, 64-62 win over Evansville Tuesday that came right down to the wire. The Phoenix have won two in a row entering this clash with the Eagles.

This will be the first-ever meeting between these two programs. Florida Gulf Coast plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and Green Bay is a contender in the Horizon League.

Whether it was a stellar defensive effort by Florida Gulf Coast or a horrific offensive outing for San Francisco (or both), the Eagles were able to limit the Dons to 20.7 percent shooting in the first half, and 25.4 percent from the floor in the entire game. The Dons, who entered the contest averaging over 88 points per game, could only score 47 in the Eagles' win. Bernard Thompson netted a game-high 20 points for FGCU, and Nate Hicks came off the bench to score 11 points. Marc-Eddy Norelia rounded out the FGCU double-digit scorers with 10 points and six boards.

Coming into Tuesday's game against San Francisco, Thompson led the Eagles in scoring with a 16.3 ppg average, which he exceeded and raised with his 2-point outburst. Following his 15-point season debut on Monday, Julian DeBose netted just four points against San Francisco to drop his average down. Brett Comer, who entered the contest averaging 12.5 ppg, could only scrape three points together against the Dons, but he was still able to perform his point guard duties well, dishing out eight assists.

It was a hard-fought win for Green Bay over Evansville Tuesday, as the Phoenix reclaimed a lead over the Purple Aces with just a few minutes to play in the contest, then had to hold their breath as an Evansville 3-point attempt missed the mark, and a layup attempt at the buzzer didn't fall in the two-point Green Bay win. Keifer Sykes led the team in scoring with 20 points, adding in eight rebounds to his resume. Carrington Love and Greg Mays each netted 11 points to contribute to the win, in which Green Bay shot an even 50 percent from the floor.

Sykes was tabbed the preseason player of the year in the Horizon League, and he showed why he earned that distinction Tuesday night. He entered the game against Evansville scoring 18.0 ppg, which he bumped up after Tuesday's performance. Mays was the only other Green Bay player to come into Tuesday's game with a double-digit point total, netting 12.3 ppg. Jordan Fouse, who fouled out of Tuesday's game with zero points and just three rebounds, was the team leader entering the clash with a Green Bay-best 8.3 rpg.

This should be a perfect culmination to the Gulf Coast Showcase between the FGCU Eagles and high-octane Phoenix of Green Bay. With a perfect record still on the line FGCU will need to show its excellent combination of strong defense and athleticism, while Green Bay needs more contribution from role players. Expect a tight one in this championship tilt.