NEWARK, N.J. - The FGCU women's basketball team (16-4, 7-0 ASUN) had a near record-breaking day defensively while producing a 67-35 win over NJIT (5-15, 2-5) in the Wellness and Events Center on Tuesday.

"We made a lot of defensive plays and it came from a lot of different people," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "We forced some turnovers in the first half that led to some runout layups and some easy baskets."

The Eagles, who will be back in action at home against Jacksonville on Saturday at 4 p.m., allowed a season-low 35 points and haven't allowed more than 46 points in any of the past four games. It was the second time in conference play this year that they have allowed single-digit points in three of the game's four quarters.

FGCU, which entered the game ranked among the nation's top 25 in scoring margin (21st), scoring offense (21st) and turnover margin (18th), had 18 steals against the Highlanders, which is third-most all-time against an ASUN team in program history and just two behind the top spot. They also forced 28 turnovers, which was just one shy of a season high.
 
In fact, they forced turnovers on 43.1 percent of NJIT's 65 total possessions, and the Eagles swiped the ball on over 25 percent of those possessions. Among those turnovers included a charge taken by Lisa Zderadicka, and they also forced three desperation shots with the shot clock running out.

Nasrin Ulel led all scorers with 16 points, while adding three rebounds and tying Davion Wingate with a game-high four steals. Keri Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) chipped in 12 points along with three assists on 5-for-10 shooting. Tytionia Adderly had a game-high eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, while adding three assists and three points.
 
In the opening quarter, the Green and Blue shot 7-for-14 from 3-point range, which included a 4-for-4 performance from Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS). At the half, the Eagles held an 8-2 advantage in offensive rebounds, which led to five second-chance points, and they assisted on 10 of 17 field goals. In fact, the Eagles had one more made field goal than NJIT had attempts in the first 20 minutes.

FGCU then forced NJIT into a 2-for-11 shooting performance in the third quarter, which led to a seven-point frame for the Highlanders.

Overall, the Eagles outscored the home team 30-0 in points off turnovers and 17-0 in fast break points. The bench held a 22-4 scoring advantage, led by nine points from Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) and eight from Chandler Ryan (Groveland, Ill./Morton HS).
 
FGCU finished 11-for-35 from 3-point range to produce the 250th game in program history with at least 10 made from long distance, which includes 13 times this year over 20 games

The Eagles finished undefeated in the month of January and have now won seven consecutive games, which ties a season-best streak, and they've won 14 straight in ASUN regular season play dating back to last year. Overall, they are 177-16 all-time against ASUN teams, including a 115-4 record since 2011-12, and they will now return home for two straight where they own a dominant 93-2 record against ASUN teams, including wins in 86 of the past 87 conference matchups dating back to Jan. 22, 2009.

Zderadicka's (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) five points gives her 971 in her NCAA career as she continues to approach the milestone 1,000 plateau. Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS), meanwhile, is now just three offensive rebounds shy of joining Sarah Hansen (329, 2010-14) as one of only two players in program history with at least 300. She also needs 17 more total rebounds to surpass Whitney Knight (735, 2011-16) for second-most in program history.

Next Up
FGCU now returns home to battle Jacksonville on Saturday and North Alabama next Tuesday. Fans are encouraged to wear blue on Saturday and pink on Tuesday.
 
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 512-118 (.813) overall in his career, including a 177-16 (.917) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven + seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 115-4 (.967) 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.