FORT MYERS, Fla. - Lisa Zderadicka's potential game-tying reverse layup rimmed out with two seconds left as the FGCU women's basketball team (9-3) had its seven-game winning streak snapped with a 62-60 loss to UAB (11-1) in Alico Arena on Friday in the Hilton Garden Inn Classic championship.

The Eagles, who will be back in action at Duke on Dec. 30, also saw a 21-game regular season home winning streak snapped.

"This is a tough loss," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "I thought we competed on the defensive end, but we didn't execute offensively at a high enough level to win, and we didn't shoot it well enough. The shots were hard to come by. They are a really good defensive team, but when we had our opportunities, we didn't shoot it very well."

Nasrin Ulel had 13 of her team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter as she helped the Eagles come back from a six-point deficit with 8:15 left. Early on in the quarter, she had a pair of 3-pointers to pull the Eagles within one. Then, with her team down four, she sank a pair of free throws and converted a game-tying layup with 36 seconds left.

On the other end, however, UAB's Deanna Kuzmanic hit a go-ahead jumper in the paint with nine seconds left. After multiple timeouts, Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) curled around the left side of the defense, but a reverse layup attempt rimmed out and the Eagles couldn't get off another shot as time expired.

Kuzmanic, who finished with a game-high 31 points along with eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block, was named the Hilton Garden Classic MVP.

In addition to Ulel's (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) production, Zderadicka chipped in 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting along with two rebounds and two assists. Tytionia Adderly had a game-high 14 rebounds along with a team-high three assists and two steals.

Davion Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) scored eight of her nine points during a two-minute stretch in the third quarter after FGCU fell behind by eight. In fact, she had the Green and Blue's first points of the half with 4:45 left in the third.

The two teams, who entered the game among the nation's best in 3-point shooting, finished a combined 9-for-43 from long distance. UAB, however, hit two of their three in an 8-0 run to break open a tie game at the half and set the tone for the rest of the way. FGCU shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the final quarter, but were 3-for-24 prior to that.
 
Hilton Garden Inn Classic All-Tournament Team
Deanna Kuzmanic (UAB) - MVP
Rachael Childress (UAB)
Nasrin Ulel (FGCU)
Lisa Zderadicka (FGCU)
Chance Graham (Coppin State)

Notes
Ulel, who is now averaging a team-high 15.8 points per contest this year, tallied her third 20 plus point game of the season. She has scored in double figures in all but three games.

Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) had 11 defensive rebounds to push her career total to 383. In doing so, she surpassed Taylor Gradinjan (381, 2012-18) for third-place on the program's Division-I era list. Her two steals also allowed her to surpass Stephanie Haas (108, 2012-16) for sole possession of 10th in D-I era career steals with 110.

With her 15 points, Zderadicka surpassed 900 career points. She now has 907, including 381 in the Green and Blue after transferring from Houston Baptist prior to the start of last year.

This was the first-ever matchup between the two teams.

WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT
Experience FGCU basketball this season. The following ticket opportunities are on sale now:
Group Sales
Bring your group of 20 or more to an FGCU men's or women's basketball game. All group tickets include an FGCU hat ($15 value), a $5 game day discount at The Boardwalk restaurant, in-game group recognition and more. For more information on group outings, click HERE or call 239-590-7145.
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets are available for all remaining home games. Discounts are available for current or former Military and Youth ages 3-15. Purchase online HERE or call 239-590-7145.
Military Appreciation Games
Military Appreciation Night is Saturday, Jan. 5. Discounted tickets are available for current or former Military and their families. Women's tickets start at $8 each and Men's tickets start at $9 each and the first 50 military discount orders include a free $10 gift card for Mission BBQ. Purchase online HERE or call 239-590-7145.

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 505-117 (.812) 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
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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.