PREVIEW: @FGCU_WBB To Meet Lipscomb Tuesday In Search Of 5th Straight Win

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU women's basketball team (13-4, 4-0 ASUN) will host Lipscomb (2-15, 0-4) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a battle between the only undefeated team and the lone winless team in conference play. The Eagles will be looking to extend its ASUN regular season winning streak to 12, and it will be the 24th all-time meeting between the two programs in a series where the Green and Blue has never lost.

Matchup: FGCU (13-4, 4-0 ASUN) vs Lipscomb (2-15, 0-4 ASUN)
When: Tuesday Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
Rankings: FGCU is No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch (ESPN+): here
Game Notes: FGCU (Interactive | Printable) | Lipscomb (Printable)
Live Stats: here
Series: FGCU leads 23-0
Coaches: Karl Smesko (17th season at FGCU - 448-91; 20th season overall - 509-118 | Greg Brown (7th season at Lipscomb - 42-154; same overall)
Game Sponsor: Jason's Deli
Game Promotions: Blue Out | Beaches and Basketball Night (fans can win prizes for wearing beach party gear)

Lipscomb Notes
Lipscomb enters Tuesday's matchup on a 14-game losing streak that dates back to Nov. 17. Their last win came against Alabama A&M (62-58) on Nov. 15. They actually started the season 2-1, but have struggled to replace reigning ASUN player of the Year, Loren Cagle, who graduated after last season.

Lipscomb Leaders
PPG: Taylor Clark (11.1), Lauren Rau (8.9), Jane Deason (7.4)
RPG: Jane Deason (4.8), Taylor Clark (4.6)
APG: Lauren Rau (3.3), Carleigh Short (1.3), Lexi Manos (1.2)
SPG: Lauren Rau (2.1), Jane Deason (1.4), Carleigh Short (1.2)
BPG: Taylor Clark (0.3), Gabi Grillon (0.3)

Series History
FGCU is 23-0 all-time against Lipscomb, including a pair of 100-point outings. The Eagles have never won by fewer than 11 points, which came on Jan. 29, 2011 in a 62-51 road win.

ASUN Dominance
FGCU is 174-16 all-time in ASUN matchups, which has led to eight regular season championships. In the conference tournament, they own a 19-2 record since becoming eligible in 2011-12, which has led to five titles. Since the start of last year, the Eagles have won 17 of the past 18 regular season conference games, including 11 straight entering Tuesday.

At home, the Eagles own a dominant 91-2 record in the regular season against the ASUN and are 112-4 (.966) against conference teams overall since 2011-12. Furthermore, they're 109-10 (.916) against current ASUN teams, and they have won 84 of the past 85 conference home games dating back to Jan. 22, 2009.

Among The Nation's Best
FGCU will enter Saturday ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in 12 categories:

Assist/turnover ratio - 32nd, 1.16
Assists/game - 46th, 15.9
Fewest turnovers - 38th, 233
Field goal percentage - 34th, .445
Scoring margin - 27th, 14.5
Scoring offense - 24th, 78.9
Turnover margin - 32nd, 4.24
Fewest turnovers per game - 32nd, 13.7
Win-loss percentage - 43rd, 76.5

3-point field goals attempted
1. DePaul - 683
2. Western Illinois - 585
3. FGCU - 581
4. Syracuse - 541
5. Oral Roberts - 523

3-point field goals made per game
1. FGCU - 11.8
2. DePaul - 11.7
3. Idaho - 10.8
4. Oregon State - 10.3
4. Creighton - 10.3
4. Ohio - 10.3

3-point field goals made
1. DePaul - 223
2. Denver - 204
3. FGCU - 200
4. Creighton - 195
5. Oral Roberts - 189

Third with 700 rebounds
Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) became just the sixth player in program history to achieve 600 career rebounds in the team's win over Houston on Nov. 28, and the junior forward now has 698 - trailing just Sarah Hansen (887) and Whitney Knight (735) on the all-time list as she looks become just the third player in program history with 700 or more rebounds.

Scoring Milestones
The trio of Lisa Zderadicka, Destiny Washington and Davion Wingate continue to trend toward 1,000 points in their NCAA careers.

Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) is the closest to the mark with 955 over 109 career games, which includes 429 in the Green and Blue. Washington (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North HS) has 912 points over 102 games, including 134 this year with the Eagles, while Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) has 752 points over 78 games including 118 with FGCU.

Mid-Major Power
Over the past four seasons, FGCU has recorded 121 wins, which is the most among all mid-majors and seventh-most among any Division-I program, trailing only UConn (148), Notre Dame (137), Baylor (135), South Carolina (129), Mississippi State (126) and Maryland (123). On top of that, the program is one of only six in Division-I with three 30-win seasons during that stretch – joining UConn, Baylor, Notre Dame, Maryland and South Carolina.

Leading the 3-Point Revolution
At FGCU, head coach Karl Smesko has turned FGCU into one of the premier 3-point shooting teams in the nation. In 16 + seasons, his teams have shot a combined 5,056-for-14,575 (.347) from long range, or 9.38 per game. Earlier this season, Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian) made the program's 5,000th 3-point field goal. In fact, the team has made at least one 3-point field goal in 426 straight games and went without at least one make in only one game in program history – Feb. 21, 2006 vs Lynn University (0-for-11).

In 2017-18, the Green and Blue made an NCAA Division-I single season record 431 3-pointers on 1,190 attempts, equating out to a .362 percentage. In doing so, the team made and attempted over twice as many as they did in the program's initial season in 2002-03 (212-for-535). Since that first year, FGCU has made at least 300 in a season 10 times, including each of the past nine seasons.

2002-03 --- 212-for-535 (.396)
2003-04 --- 118-for-406 (.291)
2004-05 --- 253-for-722 (.350)
2005-06 --- 242-for-747 (.324)
2006-07 --- 337-for-891 (.378)
2007-08 --- 255-for-734 (.347)
2008-09 --- 296-for-763 (.388)
2009-10 --- 317-for-876 (.362)
2010-11 --- 350-for-940 (.372)
2011-12 --- 342-for-925 (.370)
2012-13 --- 319-for-974 (.328)
2013-14 --- 347-for-1,000 (.347)
2014-15 --- 327-for-928 (.352)
2015-16 --- 372-for-1,194 (.312)
2016-17 --- 338-for-1,058 (.319)
2017-18 --- 431-for-1,190 (.362)
2018-19 --- 200-for-581 (.344)
TOTALS: 5,056-for-14,575 (.347)

Including 10 of 17 games this season, FGCU has made at least 10 or more 3-point field goals in a single game 247 times, including a single-season record 25 times in 2017-18. They have at least 15 games with at least 10 or more in each of the past 10 seasons.

RPI Tracker
The Green and Blue enter Saturday ranked 81st in the latest RPI poll. Here's how the rest of the teams in the ASUN rank:

North Alabama - 157
Jacksonville - 203
Stetson - 244
Liberty - 264
North Florida - 291
Kennesaw State - 296
NJIT - 314
Lipscomb - 330

Next Up
FGCU will host North Florida at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

FGCU Career Record Book

Rebounds
1. 887 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
2. 735 - Whitney KNIGHT (114o-621d) - 2011-12,13-16
3. 698 - Tytionia ADDERLY (280o-405d) - 2016-present
4. 658 - Adrianne MCNALLY (240o-418d) - 2006-10
5. 640 - Robyn SWAIN (236o-404d) - 2002-04
6. 603 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
7. 508 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
8. 498 - Taylor GRADINJAN (117o-381d) - 2012-13,14-18
9. 422 - Katie MEADOR (193o-229d) - 2012-16
10. 408 - Kate SCHRADER (194o-214d) - 2005-07

Rebounding average (min. 40 games)
1. 11.2 - Robyn SWAIN (57 games) - 2002-04
2. 8.3 - Tytionia ADDERLY (84 games) - 2016-present
3. 6.7 - Sarah HANSEN (132 games) - 2010-14
4. 6.3 - Kate SCHRADER (65 games) - 2005-07
5. 5.8 - Andrea CLARKE (55 games) - 2003-05
6. 5.7 - Whitney KNIGHT (130 games) - 2011-12,13-16
7. 5.6 - Delia DE LA TORRE (61 games) - 2006-08
8. 5.5 - Noreen MCCALLUM (57 games) - 2002-04
9. 5.4 - Chelsea LYLES (62 games) - 2008-10
10. 5.1 - Adrianne MCNALLY (128 games) - 2006-10

Defensive rebounds
1. 621 - Whitney KNIGHT (114o-621d) - 2011-12,13-16
2. 558 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
3. 420 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
4. 418 - Adrianne MCNALLY (240o-418d) - 2006-10
5. 409 - Tytionia ADDERLY (289o-409d) - 2016-present
6. 404 - Robyn SWAIN (236o-404d) - 2002-04
7. 381 - Taylor GRADINJAN (117o-381d) - 2012-13,14-18
8. 324 - DyTiesha DUNSON (61o-324d) - 2012-16
9. 321 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
10. 269 - Stephanie HAAS (96o-269d) - 2012-16

Offensive rebounds
1. 329 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
2. 289- Tytionia ADDERLY (289o-409d) - 2016-present
3. 240 - Adrianne MCNALLY (240o-418d) - 2006-10
4. 236 - Robyn SWAIN (236o-404d) - 2002-04
5. 194 - Kate SCHRADER (194o-214d) - 2005-07
6. 193 - Katie MEADOR (193o-229d) - 2012-16
7. 187 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
8. 183 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
9. 127 - Noreen MCCALLUM (127o-189d) - 2002-04
10. 122 - Andrea CLARKE (122o-196d) - 2003-05

Assists average (min. 40 games)
1. 4.7 - Chelsea DERMYER (65 games) - 2006-08
2. 4.5 - Brittany KENNEDY (58 games) - 2011-13
3. 3.9 - Megan JONES (86 games) - 2002-05
4. 3.9 - Ebonie HALLIBURTON (60 games) - 2004-06
5. 3.4 - DyTiesha DUNSON (132 games) - 2012-16
6. 3.4 - Shannon MURPHY (124 games) - 2007-11
7. 3.1 - Lisa ZDERADICKA (52 games) - 2017-present
8. 3.0 - Erica NELSON (66 games) - 2016-18
9. 2.8 - Courtney CHIHIL (120 games) - 2008-12
10. 2.6 - Adrianne MCNALLY (128 games) - 2006-10

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.

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 509-118 (.812) overall in his career, including a 174-16 (.916) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven + seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 110-4 (.965) 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 2018-19, 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.

SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Do you enjoy watching or following the FGCU women's basketball program? Would you like to play a role in the growth of the program and help take it to heights never before experienced? If so, you can reach out to Director of Advancement, Matt Ring, about opportunities to make an impact on the experiences of our student-athletes. He can be reached by email at mring@fgcu.edu or by office phone at 239-745-4434.

Print Friendly Version