RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico -
Ashli O'Neal went coast-to-coast for a game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left to give the FGCU women's basketball team (8-1) a 71-70 win over South Dakota State (5-3) in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel on Saturday.
"Somehow we found a way to beat another great team today," FGCU head coach
Karl Smesko said. "Keri and Davion made big plays late in the game, and Ashli made a game-winning play for the second day in a row."
FGCU has now won five straight games, including three straight over the defending national runner-up (Notre Dame), No. 20 USF and reigning NCAA Sweet 16 participant South Dakota State. The Eagles will not have much time to celebrate as they will travel to face Houston on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
O'Neal's (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming HS) basket came after South Dakota State's Myah Selland gave the Jackrabbits a one-point lead with nine seconds left. Tori Nelson missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, capping a wild final quarter and setting off a celebration at center court for the Green and Blue.
The Eagles entered the final quarter with a seven-point deficit, but
Keri Jewett-Giles sank a pair of 3-pointers and hit a short jumper from the left side of the rim to give her team a 57-56 lead with 7:31 left.
Despite
Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) scoring 14 straight points for FGCU to open the quarter, the Jackrabbits battled four lead changes and a tie to take a 68-63 lead with 33 seconds left.
Following a timeout,
Davion Wingate made a 3-pointer from the right wing to pull the Eagles within two. On the ensuing possession, Selland was called for an offensive foul on the mid-court inbounds pass. Wingate was then fouled attempting another 3-pointer and sank all three free throws to give FGCU a 69-68 lead with 13 seconds left.
South Dakota State then used its final timeout to set up the inbounds play for Selland before O'Neal's game winner.
In the fourth quarter alone, which featured seven lead changes and two ties, FGCU shot 7-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-10 from 3-point range.
Jewett-Giles, who was named to the All-Cancun Challenge team, scored a game-high 24 points and added two steals on 8-for-13 shooting, including a 6-for-8 finish from 3-point range.
Nasrin Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) finished second in scoring with 16 while adding three rebounds and a steal, and
Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian HS), who made two big 3-pointers early in the third quarter, finished with eight points, while O'Neal tallied seven.
Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS), who was named the MVP of the Cancun Challenge, added a game-high 11 rebounds along with a team-high four assists, two steals and two points. She totaled double-digit rebounds in each game while pushing her overall streak to four straight and six of seven. This weekend, she averaged nine points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game.
FGCU was aided by a 16-for-17 (.941) performance from the foul line, which is the fifth-best percentage in a game in the program's Division I era.
Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team
Tytionia Adderly (FGCU) - MVP
Keri Jewett-Giles (FGCU)
Myah Selland (South Dakota State)
Paiton Burckhard (South Dakota State)
Anaya Peoples (Notre Dame)
Elena Tieneke (USF)
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 532-120 (.816) 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.
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