FORT MYERS, Fla. -
Davion Wingate (23) and
Anja Marinkovic (20) combined for 43 points to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (2-0) to a 99-48 win over Webber International on Thursday inside Alico Arena.
The victory pushed FGCU's record in home openers to 16-2 all-time, which includes wins in four straight. It's also the second consecutive season that the Eagles put up 99 points in their home opener.
"I thought we got out to a slower start this game as opposed to the last one, but we managed to go on some runs," FGCU head coach
Karl Smesko said of his team, who went on a 14-4 run in the first quarter and a 16-2 run midway through the second. "Davion was explosive offensively, and Anja came in off the bench and knocked in a lot of shots. We were able to extend the lead late in the first half and a little more in the second half."
Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) continued her torrid start to the season by finishing 10-for-14 from the field with three steals in 20 minutes of action. She has a team-high 37 points through two games.
Meanwhile,
Marinkovic (Sombor, Serbia/Northern Secondary HS) tallied her 20 points in just 12 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 finish at the charity stripe. She was fouled on a 3-point attempt in the third quarter and made all three from the line, and then added a four-point play late in the fourth quarter.
The duo led a group of eight players to finish with at least six points for the Eagles, who had 10 players reach the scoring column overall.
Tyra Cox (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep) and
Ashli O'Neal each had nine points, while
O'Neal (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming HS) added three assists.
Keri Jewett-Giles, who was the third and final player in double-figure scoring with 11, tied
Tytionia Adderly for the team-high in assists with four, while adding a game-high four steals.
Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) led all players with seven rebounds.
With the win, FGCU will now prepare for a big home matchup against UCF next Tuesday. Just like the Eagles, the Knights also made the NCAA Tournament and knocked off the ACC's Pittsburgh 74-58 in their season opener.
Notes
Adderly pushed her career rebound total to 861, which is now just 27 shy of surpassing Sarah Hansen (887, 2010-14) for the program's career record.
Several players continued inching toward 1,000 points in their NCAA careers on Thursday -
Nasrin Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) with 950,
Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) with 937, Wingate with 915 and O'Neal with 872.
FGCU is now 4-0 all-time against Webber International. Thursday's tilt was the first time the two teams have met since Nov. 28, 2011.
The Eagles celebrated their 2018-19 ASUN regular season and tournament championships, along with NCAA Tournament appearance, prior to the game with several banner drops.
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 526-119 (.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 79 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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