NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind an impressive shooting performance, the FGCU women's basketball team (13-6, 2-0 ASUN) extended its winning steak to seven in a 90-63 victory over ASUN foe, Lipscomb (3-14, 0-2 ASUN). The Green and Blue went 34-for-63 from the floor for a .540 shooting percentage, their best mark of the season against a Division I opponent.
 
"When we started moving the ball, we shot it really well, and that was the difference in the game," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We're going to need more of that from an offensively standpoint at Kennesaw State."
 
Putting up points was truly a team effort as four Eagles reached double-figure scores in the game. Rosemarie Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS/Chipola College) racked up a team-leading 17 points, followed by China Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville/Middle Tennessee State) with 16 and Erica Nelson (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee Summit North HS/Johnson County CC) and Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) who each recorded 12.
 
True to its reputation, FGCU continued to achieve success from beyond the arc with a .522 three-point shooting percentage. With 12 triples this afternoon, the Eagles have now recorded 10 or more threes in 12 of 19 games this season. Laughter contributed heavily to FGCU's long range shooting, draining 4-of-5 from the perimeter this afternoon.
 
Defensively, the Green and Blue forced 22 Lipscomb turnovers, marking their third-straight game forcing opponents to more than 20. FGCU reach double-digit steals for the 10th time this season with 10 takeaways from eight different players on the afternoon.
 
Nelson snagged an early steal to start the game before FGCU went up 4-0. Lipscomb answered with five straight points, which gave the Bisons their first and only lead of the afternoon. Threes from Laughter, Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman) and Dow followed as the Eagles went on a 15-3 run. Lipscomb captured six of the final 10 points to cut FGCU's lead to seven as the quarter came to an end.
                   
The teams split the first 14 points of the second quarter evenly. FGCU took control halfway through the quarter with a 10-point run, which included back-to-back triples from Laughter. Trailing by 17, Lipscomb collected three points on a free throw followed by a layup, but FGCU went into halftime up by 16 after a layup from Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wis./Muskego HS).
 
Both teams scored fast and often coming out of the break. FGCU started out with a 6-2 run, but the Bisons responded by scoring 10 of the next 12 points. A three-pointer from Julien swung momentum back in favor of the Green and Blue, sparking a 9-3 Eagles run, which was highlighted by four-straight points from Mikala McGhee (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville HS/George Mason/Missouri State). The Eagles finished the quarter with an 81-53 lead after triples from Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS), Dow and Nasrin Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS).
 
FGCU gained its largest lead of the night at the beginning of the fourth quarter after the Eagles went on a 4-1 run. Trailing by 31, the Bisons scored six-straight points. The teams split the next eight points evenly. Adderly scored the final basket of the game on a freebie, giving FGCU its 90th point and seventh-straight win.
 
With the victory, the Eagles remain undefeated against Lipscomb with a 19-0 all-time record.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will continue their road trip as they travel to Kennesaw, Ga. to square off with KSU on Monday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
 
SMESKO
Head coach Karl Smesko earned his sixth-consecutive ASUN Coach of the Year award with a successful 2015-16 campaign and was named the espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year. Under his direction, the team has compiled two-straight 30-win seasons with four perfect ASUN regular-season slates in the last five years. The team earned its first top-25 ranking and a third NCAA Tournament appearance as a seven seed in 2014-15 where FGCU won its first ever DI NCAA Tournament game against No. 10 Oklahoma State. With 30 wins and counting this year, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 12-straight 20 win seasons.  He maintains a record of 392-79 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.2 with a mark of 147-13 (91.9 W%) in ASUN contests and has led the team to an 83-1 record in conference play in the last five seasons.  The six-time ASUN Coach of the Year earned his 400th career win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma, and holds a career record of 453-106 (81.0 W%).  Smesko ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher, joining Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
 FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.