PRINCETON, N.J. - Outside of a two-minute stretch late in the first quarter, the FGCU women's basketball team (3-1) struggled to get things going offensively in a 67-53 loss to Princeton (4-0) on the road in Jadwin Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

"It was a tough game for us today," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Princeton played great and made things difficult. We need to move the ball more and be more active on defense."
 
Down 14-6, the Eagles went on an 11-2 run to close the opening quarter. Nasrin Ulel hit a running floater in the lane at the buzzer to give FGCU a 17-16 lead. During that stretch, the Green and Blue went 5-for-6 from the field with two steals, led by seven straight points from Keri Jewett-Giles.
 
Things went downhill from there, though. With her team still holding that one-point lead and 8:29 left in the next quarter, Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) picked up her third foul and had to sit the rest of the half. Along with that, FGCU opened the quarter 0-for-11 from the field and failed to connect until Davion Wingate banked in a 3-pointer with 2:44 left in the half.
 
Those things helped Princeton open up a 35-25 lead at the half, and despite a layup from Ulel on the first possession of the third quarter, Princeton pushed its lead to 19 with 6:19 left in the third following a 11-0 run.
 
Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) and Alyssa Blair (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie HS) nailed back-to-back 3-pointers with just over two minutes left in the quarter to pull the Eagles within 11, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the game.  
 
Outside of that 5-for-6 stretch to close the opening quarter, FGCU shot 16-for-59, or 27 percent, from the field.
 
Jewett-Giles finished with a team-high 16 points, while Ulel had 13 and Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) had 12. The trio combined for 41 of the team's 53 points.
 
Tytionia Adderly, who had a game-high 10 rebounds along with three points, four steals and an assist, is now four rebounds shy of breaking FGCU's career rebounding record, which is currently held by Sarah Hansen (887, 2010-14). Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) also moved up two spots to 18th on the ASUN's all-time career list, surpassing Haley Nelson (Belmont, 2008-12, 880) and Jessica Bobbitt (Belmont, 2005-09, 878). Next up is Chelsea McMillan (USC Upstate, 2008-11, 886).
 
Notes
Both teams entered the game ranked within the top 10 of the CollegeInsider.com and espnW mid-major polls. The Eagles are fifth and seventh, while the Tigers are ninth and sixth, respectively.
 
FGCU is now 4-1 all-time against the Ivy League.
 
Several players inched closer to 1,000 points in their NCAA careers, including Ulel (971), Jewett-Giles (966), Wingate (956). Ashli O'Neal also has 872.
 
Sunday's loss also snapped FGCU's 19-game regular season winning streak, which was tied for the fourth-longest in the program's Division I era.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Season and mini-plan packages for the 2019-20 FGCU women's basketball team are now on sale. More information can be accessed by visiting FGCUTickets.com. To purchase tickets, or for additional inquiries, call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 AM-5 PM.

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 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.

COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko led the 2018-19 Eagles to the program's fifth undefeated conference regular season since 2011-12, as well as the ninth consecutive season with at least 25 victories. The Green and Blue finished 28-5 overall and 16-0 in ASUN play, capturing the team's ninth ASUN regular season championship and sixth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season receiving votes in the final AP Poll and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in eight seasons before falling to host No. 19 Miami in the first round. It was the team's 12th-straight postseason appearance in 12 years of Division-I existence - the only program to ever do such.

Over the past five seasons, Smesko has guided FGCU to three 30-plus win seasons while recording a 149-28 (.841) record overall. That win total ranks eighth-best in the nation over that stretch - the most among all mid-majors and ahead of programs such as Oregon State and Stanford.

Including 2018-19, Smesko has also guided the Eagles to 15-straight 20-win seasons. He maintains a record of 527-120 (.815) overall in his career (third highest winning percentage among active D1 coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and Baylor's Kim Mulkey), including a 186-16 (.921) mark in ASUN play. Over the past eight seasons (including 2018-19), he has guided FGCU to a 124-4 (.969) record in conference play with five undefeated seasons. The now nine-time ASUN Coach of the Year earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than Auriemma.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 80 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--