HONOLULU - Lisa Zderadicka went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final minutes on Saturday to help the FGCU women's basketball team (3-2) hold off a fourth-quarter rally from Hawaii (1-6) and secure a 73-67 win on the second day of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"I thought we had a really good first half," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "We had a really good pace to our play. Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter, we didn't do well. We played a little tentative. We slowed down our pace, and Hawaii made a nice comeback. It was good to see Kerstie get a bunch of offensive rebounds late in the game to help us and for Lisa to knock down all those free throws to help seal the game."

With the victory, Smesko now sits at 499 career victories and will get his first crack at No. 500 at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday against American University in the finale of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown.

Nasrin Ulel led all players with 17 points, while Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) and Keri Jewett-Giles had 16 apiece. The trio finished 14-for-16 from the foul line and had 49 of the team's 73 points.

Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) converted a pair of free throws with 4:05 left in the third quarter to give FGCU its second of two 22-point leads. Then, after the Eagles didn't produce any field goals over a four-minute stretch late in the quarter, Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian) and Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) made back-to-back layups in the final minute to give the Green and Blue a 57-41 lead entering the final 10 minutes.

The lead remained at double digits until Hawaii's Makenna Woodfolk made a layup with 2:27 left to pull the Rainbow Wahine within eight. They trimmed it down to four on a pair of occasions down the stretch, but Zderadicka made a pair of free throws each time.

Zderadicka and Jewett-Giles each had a game-high three steals. In fact, they each had more individually than Hawaii (2) had as a team. Jewett-Giles also led the way with three assists.

Destiny Washington-Mabon (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North HS) added seven points and a team-high six rebounds before fouling out late, but she eclipsed 800 points in her NCAA career with a third quarter layup. She entered needing five points for the milestone and now sits at 802, which includes stops at Ball State and Loyola Chicago.

With the victory, FGCU is now 2-0 all-time against Hawaii and will close out the Rainbow Wahine Showdown with a 5 p.m. ET matchup against American University on Sunday. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Notes
With her three rebounds, Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) is nine rebounds shy of becoming the sixth player in program history with at least 600 career rebounds. She needs 11 more to eclipse Courtney Chihil (603, 2008-12) for fifth-place all-time.

FGCU is now 3-2 all-time as a Division-I program while playing in the state of Hawaii.

The Green and Blue finished 6-for-21 from 3-point range to snap its four-game streak of 10 or more made from long range to open the season.

Jewett-Giles has now scored 15 or more points in four consecutive games since an eight-point outing against South Dakota State in the season opener. She is averaging 16.5 PPG during that stretch.
 
GET YOUR PUNCH PASS
Get the best value in Southwest Florida with the FGCU Basketball Punch Pass. Three games for $15 or seven games for $30. Purchase online here.

GROUP TICKETS
Bring your group of 20 or more to an FGCU basketball game. Group tickets start as low as $7 per person and include a $5 off coupon for game day at The Boardwalk restaurant on the FGCU Waterfront. Contact the ticket office for more information 239-590-7145 or tickets@fgcu.edu.

SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
Fans can purchase or learn more about season tickets by contacting an Alico Arena Ticket Office representative over the phone at 239-590-7145 or by visiting the office Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Additional information is available on FGCUTickets.com.
 
Season ticket seat locations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Like in the past, Eagles Club membership may be required for certain seats, with giving levels utilized for access to better locations.
 
YOUNG ALUMNI
FGCU recently announced a program in which young alumni – those who have graduated from FGCU within the past five years – can save between 30-70 percent off Priority Level 4 and 5 section season tickets, in addition to receiving discounted Eagles Club membership, which is needed for select premier seats inside Alico Arena. Those interested in taking advantage of this offer are asked to click here or visit FGCUAthletics.com/YoungAlumni to complete a form. Following that, an FGCU Ticket Office representative will be in contact to set up an account. For more information, call 239-590-7145, email tickets@fgcu.edu or visit the Alico Arena Ticket Office Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
 
COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko led the 2017-18 Eagles to another historic season. The Green and Blue finished 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play, capturing the program's eighth ASUN regular season championship and fifth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season ranked 25th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, recaptured the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals made in a season with 431 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, where the Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded and No. 15 ranked Missouri in the opening round. It was the team's second tournament win over the past three appearances. Over the course of the season, FGCU knocked off three ranked teams - No. 15 Missouri, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 DePaul.

Over the past four seasons, Smesko has guided FGCU to three 30 plus win seasons while recording a 121-23 (.840) record overall. The now eight-time ASUN Coach of the Year rallied the 2016-17 team to its seventh straight 25-win campaign, culminating in an ASUN tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2015-16, he was named the espnW mid-major coach of the year following a run that witnessed the Eagles claim a WNIT runner-up finish and a Division-I program best ever 33-6 record. In 2014-15, the team achieved its first-ever top-25 ranking and made another trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Eagles earned a No. 7 seed and won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, toppling No. 10 seed Oklahoma State.

Including the 2017-18 campaign, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 14-straight 20-win seasons and eight-straight 25-win seasons. He maintains a record of 499-116 (.811) overall in his career, including a 170-16 (.914) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 106-4 (.964) record in conference play with four undefeated seasons. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. Entering 2016-17, he ranked 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. Over the past year, first-year NCAA Division-I head coaches Nancy Fahey (Illinois) and Bart Brooks (Belmont) pushed the list to six.

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.

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 contribute, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.