Box Score LAS VEGAS - China Dow and Rosemarie Julien combined for 48 points to lead the FGCU women's basketball team to an 89-84 upset of #21 DePaul in overtime on Thursday in the opener of the Play4Kay Showcase at Mandalay Bay.

With the win, FGCU (6-0) will advance to face #8 Ohio State in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday. With the loss, DePaul (3-2) will face Memphis in the consolation bracket on Friday.

"I'm most happy that (despite making) key mistakes down the stretch in regulation that helped them get into overtime, we didn't hang our heads at that point," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "When we were in the huddle, I saw a team that was ready to go out there and compete for the next five minutes, so I felt pretty good about our chances."

LEADERS
Offensively, Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville) poured in a game and season-high 26 points while adding nine rebounds, three steals and one assist. She finished 6-for-11 from the field and 14-for-15 from the foul line. With that performance, she tied Sarah Hansen (LSU - Dec. 28, 2012) for the program's second most made FTs in a single game during the Division-I era.

"They do score a lot, but they also give up a lot of points because of that, so our big plan was to get back and get matched up quick," Dow said. "That was our whole game plan. If we get back and make shots, and they're not scoring, we'll be ok. And I think that's what happened today."

Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS) assisted Dow with 22 points, three rebounds and two steals. She made several crucial baskets for the Eagles down the stretch and finished 10-for-11 from the foul line. Her scoring output fell just two shy of her season-high.

Lisa Zderadicka, who made a driving layup with her left hand with 32 seconds left in overtime to give FGCU a three-point lead, fell just one shy of her season-high in scoring while finishing with 12 points and two assists. Tytionia Adderly just missed a double-double, but recorded 11 points and tied Dow for the team-high in rebounds with nine.

Outside of those four, Erica Nelson (8), Taylor Gradinjan (5) and Nasrin Ulel (5) combined for 18 points to round out the team's scoring.

Nelson (Kansas City, Mo./Lee Summit North HS) also fell just one shy of tying her season-high in scoring, while Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) and Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) made the team's lone two 3-pointers as FGCU recorded a season-high 48 points in the paint.

TIDBITS
FGCU, which entered the game receiving votes in the latest Coaches Poll and is ranked #2 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Poll, is now 7-6 in overtime games during the Division-I era, and Thursday's win evens up the all-time series against DePaul, who previously defeated the Eagles 60-58 on Nov. 22, 2012.

DePaul, who entered the game averaging just under 100 points per game, was held to season-lows in first quarter points (13), first half points (33), points in regulation (73) and total points (84).

As a team, FGCU finished 29-for-36 (80.6 percent) from the foul line. The made free throw total ties the program mark for second most in a single game during the Division-I era with the Nov. 12, 2010 vs Seton Hall game. It was two shy of the record set vs George Washington on Nov. 14, 2014.

Against DePaul, FGCU tied its season-high for FGM (29) and set new-season-highs in FTM (29), FT percentage (.806) and total points (89). They did that despite season-lows in assists (5) and 3-point FGM (2).

PLAY-BY-PLAY
FGCU held an 18-6 lead, its largest of the game, with 2:34 left in the opening quarter following a pair of Gradinjan free throws. Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Treasure Coast HS) had six of those 18 points, including a coast-to-coast layup for FGCU's first points. DePaul battled back and led by five on three occasions down the stretch of the first half, but a pair of free throws from Julien with five seconds left pulled the Eagles within three at the break.

Midway through the third quarter, DePaul held a 48-42 lead and had possession. Zderadicka made a key steal and finished a layup to kick start a 6-0 run to tie the game. The Eagles closed the quarter with back-to-back baskets to take a six-point lead into the fourth. The first came via a layup from Nelson on an assist from Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wis./Muskego HS) and the second came on a jumper from Ulel (Murrietta, Calif./Murrietta HS).

Just over two minutes into the fourth, Dow hit a pair of free throws to give FGCU a nine-point lead. DePaul pulled within four just over three minutes later, and then trimmed it to three with three minutes left. Dow answered on the other end with a three-point play to give the Eagles a 73-67 lead with 2:53 left.

DePaul then got six straight points from Chante Stonewall to tie the game just over a minute later. Down the stretch, FGCU had a turnover and Julien missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 27 seconds left, while DePaul missed a pair of shots, including a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer that was blocked by Gradinjan.

In the overtime session, DePaul converted a layup on the opening possession and had a chance to stretch the lead, but missed a 3-point attempt. Julien and DePaul then traded baskets, with Julien converting two more layups to tie the game at 77 apiece with two minutes left.

A layup from Dow gave the Eagles a two-point lead, and DePaul answered with one of two at the foul line. Zderadicka's aforementioned driving layup down the left side pushed the lead to three with 32 seconds left. From there, FGCU closed the game with an 8-for-8 finish from the foul line, led by six from Julien and two game clinching free throws from Dow with 0.8 seconds left that put the margin out of reach.

Zderadicka, Adderly and Nelson each fouled out of the game. It is the second time this season that FGCU has had three players foul out (Kent State).

UP NEXT
Next up for FGCU is #8 Ohio State, which pasted Memphis 100-69 in another quarterfinal. The Eagles are 0-2 all-time against Ohio State, including a 90-83 loss in overtime on Nov. 29, 2014 and a 79-66 loss loss on Nov. 25, 2016.

PLAY4KAY
The Play4Kay Showcase promotes the Play4Kay initiative, a grassroots fundraising campaign for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Play4Kay's primary fundraising support comes from women's basketball teams across the country that dedicate games throughout the season to raise funds and awareness for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The charity was founded in 2007 from the vision of the organization's namesake Kay Yow, a former N.C. State head women's basketball coach who endured three bouts with breast cancer. Despite the disease, she coached for 38 years, recording more than 700 wins, making 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 trips to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four berth in 1998. In 1988, she coached the United States to an Olympic gold medal. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on January 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has since raised more than $5.28 million for women's cancer research and to assist the underserved. For her achievements on and off the court, Coach Yow is enshrined in both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the women's basketball program, follow @FGCU_WBB on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook at /FGCUWBB.

COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko rallied the 2016-17 Eagles to their seventh-straight 25-win campaign, which culminated in the team's fourth NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons of eligibility. The seven-time ASUN Coach of the Year was named the espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year in 2015-16 following a run that witnessed the Eagles finish a best-ever 33-6. Over a five-year stretch starting in 2011-12, FGCU racked up four ASUN seasons with a perfect record and capped the run with back-to-back 30 plus win seasons. In 2014-15, the team earned its first top-25 ranking and another NCAA Tournament trip as a seven seed, where FGCU won its first ever NCAA Division-I Tournament game against No. 10 Oklahoma State. With 26 wins in 2016-17, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 13-straight 20-win seasons.  He maintains a record of 410-82 (.833) at FGCU, including a 160-15 (.914) mark in ASUN play. Over the past six seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 93-3 (.969) record in conference play. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. He holds a career head coaching record of 471-109 (.812). 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.

IRMA RELIEF DONATIONS
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, many individuals and families throughout Southwest Florida are still in desperate need of assistance. To aid in those relief efforts, FGCU Athletics will be collecting donations at all Eagle home games for the immediate future. Donation items most needed include: non-perishable food, clothing, household items and first-aid supplies. Additionally, those unable to attend upcoming home games can drop off donations in canisters located in the Alico Arena lobby. All donations will be given to those hardest hit in Lee and Collier counties.