DELAND, Fla. – For the fourth time in six years, the FGCU women's basketball team (26-8) punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling 77-70 road win over top-seeded Stetson (26-6).
 
The NCAA will be announcing the tournament bracket Monday, Mar. 13 at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to watch with the team as it learns who and where it will be playing in the first round, as the public is invited to Alico Arena for a Selection Show Viewing Party. Head coach Karl Smesko will address the crowd and the FGCU cheerleaders and E'Gals will perform. Doors open at 6 p.m.
 
With the men already slated to face FSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, this is the first season in FGCU history that both the men's and women's programs have earned tournament bids in the same year.
 
The road to the big dance was anything but easy for the Eagles, as they grinded through nine lead changes, an incredible three-point shooting performance from Stetson and a nine-point deficit nearly halfway through the fourth quarter. With the Hatter's shooting 11-for-16 from beyond the arc, it was the Eagles' extra possessions from turnovers and solid rebounding as well as an outrageous career-high 31 points from China Dow that made the difference.
 
"This was just a great college basketball game with a great environment here at Stetson," said Smesko. "I thought Stetson played great. We were just trying to hang around. They were 8-10 from three in the first half. We made some defensive mistakes leaving our shooters, and they made us pay. We just had to keep fighting. We did a great job on the boards against a good rebounding team. Then in the fourth quarter we just hit one roll, one little hot-streak and it kind of put us over the hump. Jordin (Alexander), Rose (Julien), China's last five-minute stretch was pretty amazing."
 
"When you're down like we were today, you know your back is against the wall and you're going to fight. If you can just hit a couple baskets, all the sudden you feel momentum and you're like, 'I've got a chance again.' It brings you off the mat and gets you ready to finish things off. I'm proud of them for fighting and trying to get back in the game and finishing it off. It was a lot of people making a lot of big plays."
 
Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville/Middle Tennessee State) was named Tournament MVP after her monster game. Thanks to her outstanding performance, the Eagles bench outscored its starters 43-34. The junior transfer went 11-of-18 from the field including 4-of-5 from three. She added three steals and a team-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double, all in just 25 minutes of play. Ten of Dow's 31 points came in the final five minutes of action, which helped swing the Eagles from a nine-point deficit to a seven-point advantage before the final buzzer.
 
Also named to the All-tournament team was true freshman Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman). A defensive stalwart for Smesko's squad, Adderly pulled down eight rebounds and added six points, one block and one steal for FGCU. Alexander (Fisher, Ind./ Hamilton Southeastern HS/Brown) wrapped up the Eagle's All-Tournament selections. After briefly exiting the game with a shoulder injury, the senior transfer returned to the court and finished just shy of a triple-double with 14 points and nine rebounds and a team-high nine assists.
 
Big makes down the stretch from Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS/Chipola College) and Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) also proved crucial in tonight's win.
 
The first quarter set the scene for a very fast-paced and physical night of ASUN basketball. The Eagles got rolling with a pair of triples from Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) and Dow off the bench, but ASUN Player of the Year Brianti Saunders went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc on her way to collecting 13 of the Hatters' 20 first quarter points. With the Eagles trailing by two, Adderly snagged an offensive rebound and popped a basket in at the buzzer to knot up the score at 20 before the end of the period.
 
The Eagles started the second quarter with a boost from a Laughter three-pointer. Shutting down Saunders undoubtedly became a focus for FGCU, but Stetson's Brittney Chambers picked up the Hatters' slack nailing three of her own from the perimeter. Points from Dow, Alexander and Mikala McGhee (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville HS/George Mason/Missouri State) kept things close, but with one final Saunders triple, the Eagles hit the locker room trailing 34-38.
 
The teams swapped baskets throughout the third quarter when play resumed. Stetson was able to go up by as much as six, but free throws from Erica Nelson (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee Summit North HS/Johnson County CC) as well as another Dow three-pointer kept things close. With a six-point deficit and a minute remaining in the quarter, Dow popped in a layup and drew the foul for a three-point play. The Eagles would enter the fourth quarter trailing by just three.
 
Determined to hang onto their lead, the Hatters went on an 8-2 run to start the final stanza. Momentum began to shift after Stetson's Chambers was ejected with her fifth foul. Trailing by nine with 6:21 to play, Julien broke the streak with a midrange jumper. A four-point run from Alexander cut the gap to three. Dow finished off the Eagles 11-0 run with a pair of free throws followed by her third triple, giving FGCU a two-point advantage. Stetson tied things up twice, but the Eagles continued to hit shots and draw fouls. With 1:38 to go, Dow hit her fourth triple of the afternoon, giving FGCU a two-possession lead for the first time since the second quarter. More free throws from Laughter and Alexander sealed the victory for FGCU.
 
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
China Dow, FGCU (MVP)
Jordin Alexander, FGCU
Tytionia Adderly, FGCU
Brianti Saunders, Stetson
Brittney Chambers, Stetson
Carlotta Gianolla, Kennesaw State
Sherranda Reddick, Jacksonville
 
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 404-81 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.3 with a mark of 160-15 (91.4 W%) in ASUN contests and has led the team to a 93-3 (96.9 W%) record in conference play in the last six 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 465-108 (81.1 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.