Florida Gulf Coast beats Jacksonville 81-63 in A-Sun tourney

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) Marc-Eddy Norelia scored 19 points off the bench, leading four in double-figure scoring as second-seeded Florida Gulf Coast defeated No. 7 seed Jacksonville 81-63 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun tournament.

Florida Gulf Coast (22-9) advances to a Thursday semifinal.

The Eagles had lost to Jacksonville in the regular season finale on Saturday, but left little doubt in the playoff. Norelia broke a 22-22 tie with a layup and two free throws as Florida Gulf Coast pulled away to lead 38-34 at halftime. They led by as many as 12 in the second half before Jacksonville fought back to 59-54.

But Norelia added a dunk and a layup to cap a 7-2 run and Florida Gulf Coast was in the clear. Julian DeBose and Brett Comer added 14 each for the Eagles. Kori Babineaux led Jacksonville with 20.

Jacksonville finished 10-22.