Sure does.

Last January, the Florida Gulf Coast University men's basketball team, then ranked fifth nationally in Division II, had their 14-game winning streak snapped by a 2-13 Arkansas Tech squad in Russellville, Ark.

On Saturday at Alico Arena, those same pesky Wonder Boys were sharp enough from the perimeter to hang with the Eagles through the first half.

That is, until Ryan Hopkins and Bryan Crislip did a little work from the outside themselves.

The Eagles backcourt combined for 47 points, including eight 3-pointers and a game-high 27 for Hopkins, as FGCU pulled away in the second to claim an 82-72 victory at Alico Arena.

"Obviously, a much better outcome than a year ago," said head coach Dave Balza. "We're not as good a team as we were a year ago yet, but I think tonight was a good statement. It got a little testy, but we beat a team that beat us, and we were able to pull away at home."

The Eagles (6-2) used a 7-0 run at the end of the first to take a 37-30 lead into the half, but the Wonder Boys cut it to one on back-to-back 3-pointers by Marcus Lyons and Terrence Martin early in the second.

That's when Crislip (20 points, 11 assists and zero turnovers in 33 minutes) and Hopkins sparked a 13-4 run, each connecting for a pair of treys to give the Eagles their largest lead, at 51-40, with just over 14 minutes remaining.

"It feels good to see it go back in," said Hopkins, who was mired in a 12-for-52 slump from 3-point range before breaking out for 60 points in the last two games.

"The guys rely on me to score, and they've been going in at practice and before games. Hopefully, now they'll keep going in."

Arkansas Tech wouldn't go away, with Rone Smith (22 points) muscling for three straight buckets inside to help trim the lead to as few as four, at 53-49.

Hopkins ripped back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Eagles another double-digit lead, as the Wonder Boys (4-3) got no closer than eight down the stretch.

"Usually I don't like to shoot 31 3's, but we were so wide open," said

Balza, whose team shot 14-of-31 3-pointers against the Tech zone. "Hop had eight and Bryan had four, and 45 percent from the arc? You can't argue with that."

FGCU 82

ARKANSAS TECH 72

ARKANSAS TECH (4-3)

Smith 11-17 0-2 22, Stanek 2-8 0-0 6, Lyons 4-8 0-0 12, Martin 2-12 6-9 12, Johnson 5-11 6-7 18, Ohanson 0-1 2-2 2, LaRue 0-0 0-0 0, Templeton 0-0 0-0 0, Freeman 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals 24-57 14-20 72.

FLORIDA GULF COAST (6-2)

Cedeno 1-3 1-4 3, Watts 4-6 2-2 10, Martin 2-5 4-6 8, Crislip 5-11 6-8 20, Hopkins 9-20 1-2 27, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Pean 0-1 0-0 0, Rooney 1-1 0-0 3, Parker 0-2 0-0 0, Coggins 4-7 2-3 11, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0, Neptune 0-1 0-2 0.

Totals 26-57 16-27 82.

Halftime-FGCU 37, AT 30. 3-point goals-FGCU 14-31 (Hopkins 8-19, Crislip 4-8, Rooney 1-1, Coggins 1-2, Pean 0-1), AT 10-24 (Lyons 4-7, Johnson 2-3, Stanek 2-7, Martin 2-7) Fouled out- None. Rebounds- FGCU 37 (Watts 9), AT 35 (Smith 13). Assists- FGCU 18 (Crislip 11), AT 12 (Martin 4). Total fouls- FGCU 15, AT 23.

FGCU women hold off Valdosta

Florida Gulf University's women's basketball team held on Saturday night for a 63-51 victory over Valdosta State in the Days Inn Classic.

The Eagles (5-3), sprinted to a 38-22 half-time lead and knocked in six of eight shots from three-point range in the first 20 minutes to take control of the game.

Candy Myers and Ebonie Halliburton led FGCU with 14 points each.

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