Men Sweep The FSCJ Classic, Improve To 7-0 On Season

This is a picture of Aiden Fletcher for FSCJ Men's Basketball shooting a basketball in a game versus Snead State Community College on November 17, 2024.
Aiden Fletcher was the leading scorer of The FSCJ Classic, averaging 22.3 points per game.
November 18, 2024

Jacksonville, FL----The #11 nationally ranked Florida State College at Jacksonville Men's Basketball Team (7-0) hosted The FSCJ Classic this past weekend at FSCJ's South Campus. The classic hosted teams from across the country, including #17 nationally ranked Chandler-Gilbert Community College (AZ), Marion Military Institute (AL), Snead State Community College (AL), Florida Gateway College, and USC-Salkehatchie (SC).

Thursday, November 14th

Game 1: #11 FSCJ 67 – #17 Chandler-Gilbert 55

#11 FSCJ opened the classic by hosting #17 Chandler-Gilbert Coyotes (4-3) on Thursday evening for the first ever ranked matchup in FSCJ school history. It was an early offensive struggle for both teams as the Manta Rays trailed most of the first half before knotting it up at 28 going into the intermission. In the second half, FSCJ began capitalizing on Chandler-Gilbert's mistakes, scoring 20 points off the Coyotes 18 turnovers. 

FSCJ won the battle in the paint—28-points to CGCC's 22—and from 3-point range—8 of 21 to CGCC's 4 for 13—led by sophomores Jordan Smith's 20-points and Aiden Fletcher's 17-points. The Manta Rays pulled away late to seal the double-digit victory.

"Chandler-Gilbert is an incredibly-well coached team and have such a disciplined style of play," said Head Coach John Putyrski after the contest. "It's not easy to convince a team that a 2-foot jump stop and shot-fake can be just as good as a high-flying dunk, so I thought this could be a tough one for our guys. They proved up to the challenge and finally settled in when it mattered most."

Friday, November 15th

Game 2: Chandler-Gilbert 79 – Marion Military Institute 73

Game 3: Snead State Community College 84 – Florida Gateway College 70

Saturday, November 16th

Game 4: #11 FSCJ 95 – Marion Military 71

After a day-off between games, #11 FSCJ was back in action on Saturday afternoon to take on the Tigers of Marion Military Institute (0-8). It was an off-shooting night for the Manta Rays, connecting on only five of their 35 3-point attempts (14.3%) and a hot-shooting night for the Tigers who connected on nine of their 19 attempts (47.4%). The misses on offense led to opportunity on the offensive glass, and FSCJ took advantage.

For the night, FSCJ outrebounded MMI 34-9 on the offensive boards and 42-28 defensively for a 76-37 overall rebounding advantage. Jordan Smith led the way with a monster double-double—his second of the year—with 11-points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Aalthough they struggled from 3, the Manta Rays dominated second chance points 21-5 and doubling-up on the Tigers on points in the paint 64-32 to win comfortably.

Game 5: Snead State 76 – Chandler-Gilbert 66

Sunday, November 17th

Game 6: #11 FSCJ 92 – Snead State 71

#11 FSCJ's final matchup of their classic was set to be a good one, where they hosted Snead State in a rematch of last season's Gulf South District Championship. FSCJ won last season's matchup in Bay Minette, Alabama 72-69 to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament.

The Manta Rays started off with an opening play 3-pointer for sophomore Alex McCray and led the rest of the way, despite Snead State's remarkable 12 of 23 (52.2%) shooting from deep. It wasn't enough to keep up with FSCJ's passionate play on both ends where they dominated the rebounding 46-28, points in the paint 40-18, and second chance points 23-6. Reigning FCSAA Player of the Week and sophomore Aiden Fletcher, kept up his stellar play, paced the Manta Rays and led all scorers with 27-points to shut the door on any possible Snead State comeback.

"Neither team had a whole lot of rest this weekend," an exhausted Fletcher said after. "It didn't matter. That's how it is in the postseason and at the national tournament, so we weren't going to make to any excuses for not getting this one."

Game 7: USC-Salkehatchie 111 – Florida Gateway College 89

With the sweep of The FSCJ Classic, the Manta Rays keep their undefeated record intact and move to 7-0 on the season. To stay up to date with all the happenings on your FSCJ Manta Rays and more exclusive content, follow us on Instagram and X @FSCJMBB.

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