FORT MYERS, Fla. - Jessica Cattani tied her career-high in scoring with 21 to lead five players in double figures as the FGCU women's basketball team (10-2) routed Ave Maria (10-2) 99-35 in Alico Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The 99-point effort is the most in a game this season and tied for the program's seventh highest single game output in the Division-I era with the Mercer game on Feb. 13, 2014. The team fell just one point shy of the 14th 100-point game in program history, and it would have been the seventh in the Division-I era. FGCU made 16 3-point field goals, which fell just outside of the top 10 single game efforts in program history, although the 75 field goal attempts overall tied for the seventh most in a single game in the Division-I era. In fact, it just just five short of tying for the top spot, which came against USC Upstate on Jan. 23, 2017.

Defensively, FGCU allowed single digit scoring in three of the four quarters en route to giving up a season-low 35 points.

The win, along with Tuesday's victory over Southeastern gives FGCU a 2-0 record against Sun Conference members this year. The Eagles are now 145-23 all-time against in-state opponents since the program's inception in 2002-03, and that includes in-state wins over FIU, Southeastern and Ave Maria this year. 

"Ty (Adderly) and Erica (Nelson) got us off to a great start. Their intensity - Erica was deflecting a lot of balls and really causing problems defensively and forcing turnovers," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty I think had six offensive rebounds by the first media timeout, so I thought those two had great first halves. We were able to get a pretty big cushion and that allowed us to get a look at some kids who haven't played a lot during the year so far. I thought the bright spot was Cattani, who is a good player but hasn't played a lot because of injuries and not practicing a lot. I thought she had an excellent game and she led us in scoring today plus five assists, no turnovers, four steals. Just a complete game by Jess."

Cattani (Muskego, Wis./Muskego HS) finished 7-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range, to tie her career-high set on Feb. 13 of last season against Lipscomb. She also set a new career-high for field goals made, tied her career-high for 3-pointers made and produced a season-high five assists in just 20 minutes of action. In fact, her assist total matched Ave Maria's entire team.

Tytionia Adderly added a season-high 15 points, a season-high 13 rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in just 15 minutes. Seven of her rebounds came on the offensive glass, while Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) produced her third straight double-digit rebounding game and her second highest single game total of the season. It was also her second double-double of the season.

Outside of those two, Alyssa Blair and Chandler Ryan each scored a season-high 12 points, while Nasrin Ulel had 10 points. Five others scored at least five points including Taylor Gradinjan (8), Erica Nelson (6), Samantha Kisiel (5), Liberty Brown (5) and Lisa Zderadicka (5). It was the first time this year the Eagles have had five players reach double-figures in scoring, and it was also the first time 10 players scored at least five points.

For Ryan (Groveland, Ill./Morton HS), it was her second double-digit scoring output of the season as she increased her season-high by one point. She tied her season-high for 3-point field goals made (3) and produced new season-highs in field goals attempted (12), 3-point field goals attempted (9), steals (4), minutes (22) and assists (4). Blair (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie HS), meanwhile, had her first double-digit scoring game of the season in a season-high 24 minutes. She finished 3-for-6 from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the foul line while adding five rebounds, two assists and one steal. The freshman recorded a new season-high in field goals made and attempted, 3-point field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, assists and rebounds.

Ulel's (Murrietta, Calif./Murrietta HS) 10-point game marked her sixth double-digit effort of the season. She made 2-for-6 from 3-point range and is now shooting .483 from long range this year. She finished with five rebounds, too, which was one shy of her season-high. Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) finished an efficient 2-for-4 from the field (2-for-3 from 3-point range). She is up to a career-high .434 percentage from long range this year, and she pushed her career scoring total to 1,026, which is 36 shy of Kate Schrader (1,062, 2005-07) for 8th place on the overall career scoring list. Next up on the program's Division-I era scoring list is Stephanie Haas (1,135, 2012-16).

Nelson (Kansas City, Mo./Lee Summit North HS) had her six points on 3-for-7 shooting while adding three steals. Kisiel (Evergreen, Colo./Evergreen HS) had a career-high in points (5) and rebounds (6) while finishing a perfect 3-for-3 from the foul line. Brown (Dallas Bryan Adams HS/Forney, Texas) made her first 3-pointer of the season and achieved a new season-high in points with five. Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) produced three of her five points from the foul line while adding an assist and a steal in nine minutes.

Other contributors were China Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville), who finished second on the team with four assists while adding three rebounds and a steal in 10 minutes, Sheahen Dowling (Chicago, Ill./Trinity HS), who had three rebounds, two steals and an assist in a season-high 19 minutes, and Rosemarie Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS), who had two rebounds and a steal in just six minutes while getting extended rest after averaging 24 PPG over the past two contests. Her streak of seven consecutive games with at least 10 points came to an end, and it also marked the first time in her FGCU career that she did not make at least one field goal.

Next up for FGCU is a 1 p.m. road game at Chattanooga in McKenzie Arena this coming Sunday, Dec. 17. The Mocs are 6-4 and have wins over Power 5 teams such as Auburn (50-41), Northwestern (61-44) and Indiana (64-61). They also defeated Georgetown 54-41 earlier this year and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season.

"It's going to be really tough," Smesko said. "It's going to be at their place. I know they've beaten a couple BCS programs already. They're a top level mid-major. To go on the road and play them will be quite a challenge."

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 414-84 (.831) 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 475-111 (.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.

TOYS FOR TOTS
The FGCU Athletics Department, FGCU Police Department, Lee County Sheriff's Office and Heroes Unlimited have teamed up to participate in a holiday toy drive. New, unwrapped toys are being collected and will be delivered to the Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida on Friday, Dec. 23. Collection boxes have been placed in the lobbies of Alico Arena, UPD and the FGCU Family Resource Center until Wednesday, Dec. 20. No toy is too small, and all toys will be wrapped prior to delivery.