Senior forward Andrea Clarke poured in a career-high 24 points to lead Florida Gulf Coast University to a 70-51 win over Fayetteville State (NC) in women'™s college basketball action at Alico Arena on Thursday night. The Eagles struggled early with the Broncos full-court press but a late 13-4 run gave FGCU its first lead. Three late free throws game gave FGCU a slim 33-30 halftime edge. Clarke (Guelph, Ontario) and Andrea Holbrook (Jeffersonville, IN) combined for 22 points in the first 20 minutes to help FGCU overcome Fayetteville State'™s 15 offensive rebounds. The Eagles opened the second half on a 20-12 run to break open the game, beating the Broncos press for open looks in the offensive zone. FGCU held Fayetteville to 30.9% from the field, including just 1-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. The Eagles held a 43-38 advantage on the board, holding the Broncos to just four second-chance opportunities in the second half. Clarke connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field while hitting 12-of-15 free throws as the Eagles improved to 6-3 on the season. Junior Andrea Holbrook added a career-high 16 points, while Ebonie Halliburton (East St. Louis, IL) scored 13 points and Candy Myers (New Batavia, OH) had 12 for FGCU. Clarke also had a game-high nine rebounds. Senior forward Tokisha Burton (Danville, VA) led FSU (3-2) with 12 points while junior guard Tiffany Mitchell (Sanford, NC) added 11. Fayetteville State travels to the University of Tampa for a game on Saturday while FGCU is back in action on Saturday, December 18 in West Palm Beach to face Molloy College of New York.