He and fellow senior Bryan Crislip combined to take 34 of the team's 65 shot attempts, scoring more than half the Eagles' points.

The reason for the imbalance was that three of FGCU's post players — Kevin Martin, Marcus Watts and Juan Cedeno — were benched with two fouls only eight minutes into the game. Nick Rollins and Trevor Montgomery filled in, eating up a combined 23 minutes for the game.

"Some guys off the bench stepped up and played major minutes for us when we needed them to," FGCU coach Dave Balza said. "Crislip and Hopkins stepped up big, too."

Hopkins only tried two shots — missing both — that were closer than the three-point arc. He scored all of his 21 points from Hopkinsville, the nickname Eagles fans give to three-point land.

He was aided by a fellow senior, Crislip, who also made 7-of-17 field goals to finish with a stunning box score line — 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and no turnovers.

The Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II South Region poll and No. 18 overall, have won 12 of their last 14 games.

Hopkins out-dueled Albany State's gunner, Jarrett Mathis. Mathis attempted 13 three-pointers, making only one. Nick Wallery made 12-of-13 free throws to finish with a game-high 26 points.

The Eagles made 11-of-23 three-pointers, good for 48 percent. The Rams, who had won nine of their last 10 and lead the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, made only a quarter of their 24 long- range shots.

"This was, far and away, our biggest clutch win," Balza said. "Our kids fought through adversity and found a way to get it done."

FGCU plays Monday night at North Alabama.

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