LAS VEGAS - The FGCU women's basketball team fell victim to a 24-0 run by #8 Ohio State in the opening quarter of a 104-62 loss in the semifinals of the Play4Kay Showcase on Friday at Mandalay Bay.
The loss was the first of the season for FGCU (6-1). The Eagles will now play Belmont for third place on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell, who scored a game-high 34 points, finished 7-for-11 from 3-point range to pass UConn's Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis for the NCAA's all-time career record in made 3-point field goals. She now has 402. In fact, due in large part to Mitchell's performance, Ohio State made 14-for-24 from 3-point range and 40-for-69 (58 percent) from the field overall as a team.
"Ohio State just blitzed us to start the game," FGCU head coach
Karl Smesko said. "We got some open looks and missed them. They got out in conversion, and we had trouble getting matched up. Mitchell is one of the best players in the country, and today she was exceptional. We had no answer for her.
"They just put us in a hole in the first that kind of shocked us, and we didn't show really good composure until midway through the second quarter. Ohio State's capable of that. They're a Final Four type team, and we were definitely hoping for a better effort, but give Ohio State credit for just taking it to us right from the beginning."
FGCU was led by
Taylor Gradinjan and
Rosemarie Julien, who scored 15 points apiece and produced all of their points from the 3-point line. The duo finished 10-for-21 combined from long range and each fell just one shy of their career high for made 3-pointers (6).
Outside of those two,
China Dow added seven points and a team-high five rebounds, while
Alyssa Blair (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie HS) produced a season-high six points off the bench.
Chandler Ryan (Groveland, Ill/Morton HS) also added five points in the final quarter as 11 different players scored at least a point for the Eagles.
Sheahen Dowling (Chicago, Ill./Trinity HS) even scored her first collegiate point via a free throw in the fourth quarter, and
Samantha Kisiel (Evergreen, Colo./Evergreen HS) had a career-high three rebounds in six minutes.
"I don't think there were a ton of positives,"
Smesko said. "This is one you almost have to forget and move on. If there was any positive, I'd say it was the kids that don't play very much got in the game and really competed and tried to do the right thing, so that was encouraging."
Ohio State opened the game with a pair of baskets down low off second chance opportunities, but
Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) and
Nasrin Ulel (Murrietta, Calif./Murrietta HS) each hit 3-pointers to tie the game at six apiece just over two minutes in.
At that point, Ohio State went on its 24-0 run over a 6:35 stretch that featured 9-for-14 shooting. They made five 3-pointers and scored on 10 of 14 possessions before a 3-pointer from
Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS) with 40 seconds left in the quarter stopped the run.
Ohio State continued to surge as they added four more 3-pointers in the first 3:19 of the second quarter, which included a four-point play from Mitchell. A 9-0 run then pushed the lead to 51-14 with four minutes left in the half.
Following that, FGCU's offense started to pick it up as the Eagles made four straight 3-pointers, led by a pair from Gradinjan. The other two came from Julien and
Erica Nelson (Kansas City, Mo./Lee Summit North HS).
Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville) then scored five straight points, and Gradinjan hit another 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull FGCU within 24 at the break.
Julien (2) and Gradinjan combined for a trio of 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the third quarter that trimmed the deficit to 23, but it was as close as the Eagles would get the rest of the way. Ohio State closed the quarter on a 19-6 run and led by as many as 48 in the final quarter.
TIDBITS
Ohio State made 14-for-42 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range, which was the same number FGCU made, but the Buckeyes attempted 18 fewer. They outscored FGCU 42-16 in the paint, 15-5 in fast break points and 25-9 in points off turnovers.
Ohio State scored 58 points in the first half, which was the most FGCU has given up in any half this year. In those 20 minutes, the Buckeyes shot 23-for-37 (62.2 percent) overall and 10-for-14 (71.4 percent) from 3-point range.
Friday's matchup was the third all-time meeting between the two teams. Ohio State now owns a 3-0 record and all three have come over the past four years on Thanksgiving Day weekend.
FGCU, which made 14 of its 22 field goals from 3-point range, is now 4-5 all-time against the Big Ten.
Gradinjan now has 975 career points - just 25 shy of becoming the ninth player in the program's Division-I era with 1,000 in a career.
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 410-83 (.832) 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 471-110 (.811). 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.
