FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU women's basketball team (10-1) will look to continue multiple winning streaks during a matchup against Central Connecticut State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside Alico Arena.
The Eagles have won seven straight overall, as well as 15 straight in Alico Arena, which is the fourth-longest streak in the country. Their overall streak is tied for 15th-best in the nation.
| Longest Home Winning Streaks (Division I) |
| 1. |
UConn |
97 |
| 2. |
Baylor |
45 |
| 3 |
Iowa |
26 |
| 4. |
FGCU |
15 |
| 5. |
Oregon State |
14 |
Second-Best Start
FGCU has produced its best start to a season in nine years. The Green and Blue's 10-1 record is also the second-best start in the program's Division I era behind the 2010-11 team's 14-0 spurt to open the season.
Series History, Milestone Wins, Chris Sale
The series history against Central Connecticut State holds a lot of historical significance for the Eagles. While this is just the second all-time meeting between the two programs, the first one resulted in FGCU's first-ever win as a Division I program on Nov. 23, 2007. Delia De La Torre posted a then career-high 18 points to lead four players in double figures as the Green and Blue produced a 71-52 win inside Alico Arena. Interestingly, the Eagles opened that season 5-7, but finished 17-2 over the final 19 games, which included the program's first-ever postseason victory - a 67-65 win over South Florida in the first round of the WNIT. In the crowd that day was Chris Sale, who was a student-athlete with FGCU's baseball team at the time.
Redshirt junior
Kerstie Phills has competed against Central Connecticut twice in her career while a member of Wagner College as a freshman in 2016-17. She averaged 19 points and nine rebounds in those contests, including a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double on Dec. 29, 2016.
1,000 NCAA Points, Finished Career with Green and Blue
FGCU currently has 17 players in the program's Division I history that have eclipsed 1,000 points at the NCAA Division I level and finished their NCAA careers at FGCU. This year's team already has three of those 17, while
Ashli O'Neal is attempting to join the club and make this year's squad the first in program history to have four players eclipse 1,000 in the same season. The last team to dress four with 1,000 points, although their milestone points came in different seasons, was the 2015-16 team consisting of Whitney Knight, Kaneisha Atwater, Taylor Gradinjan and Stephanie Haas.
| Points |
Player |
Years Played |
Previous School (if any) |
| 1,901 |
Sarah Hansen |
2010-14 |
|
| 1,574 |
Whitney Knight |
2011-16 |
|
| 1,498 |
Kaneisha Atwater |
2012-16 |
VCU |
| 1,415 |
Adrianne McNally |
2006-10 |
|
| 1,329 |
Jordin Alexander |
2012-17 |
Brown |
| 1,263 |
Kelsey Jacobson |
2008-12 |
|
| 1,234 |
Taylor Gradinjan |
2012-18 |
|
| 1,185 |
Shannon Murphy |
2007-11 |
|
| 1,138 |
Stephanie Haas |
2012-16 |
|
| 1,093 |
China Dow |
2013-18 |
Middle Tennessee State |
| 1,077 |
Keri Jewett-Giles |
2015-present |
Southern Miss |
| 1,072 |
Destiny Washington |
2014-19 |
Ball State |
| 1,060 |
Betsy Adams |
2008-13 |
Valparaiso |
| 1,059 |
Davion Wingate |
2015-present |
Stony Brook |
| 1,040 |
Nasrin Ulel |
2016-present |
|
| 1,035 |
Lisa Zderadicka |
2014-19 |
Houston Baptist |
| 1,016 |
Courtney Chihil |
2008-12 |
|
| 955 |
Ashli O'Neal |
2016-present |
Indiana State |
| If a transfer, previous school listed |
Deepest Backcourt in the Nation?
Should
Ashli O'Neal score 45 more points and reach 1,000 in her career, it would make FGCU the only Division I women's basketball school in the entire nation with a roster featuring four guards that have reached that milestone.
In fact, the Eagles would become one of only two rosters in the country with four current players having reached 1,000 career points, joining Oregon. Furthermore, only three teams currently have three or more players with the milestone mark behind their name.
Oregon - Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard, Minyon Moore, Satou Sabally
FGCU -
Keri Jewett-Giles,
Nasrin Ulel,
Davion Wingate
James Madison - Kamiah Smalls, Jackie Benitez, Lexie Barrier
Most Points Scored By A Two-Year Transfer (Division I Era)
Keri Jewett-Giles, a graduate senior who initially started her career at Southern Miss, is now among the top five most prolific scoring two-year transfers in FGCU's Division I era. She needs just eight more points to surpass Erica Nelson (582, 2016-18) for fourth place.
Davion Wingate, who started her career at Stony Brook, is also approaching the top 10 as she has 425 entering the Central Connecticut State tilt.
| Points |
Player |
Years |
Previous School |
| 862 |
Rosemarie Julien |
2016-18 |
Chipola College |
| 839 |
Chelsea Lyles |
2008-10 |
Western Nebraska C.C. |
| 749 |
China Dow |
2016-18 |
Middle Tennessee State |
| 582 |
Erica Nelson |
2016-18 |
Johnson County C.C. |
| 575 |
Keri Jewett-Giles |
2018-present |
Southern Miss |
| 571 |
Jenna Cobb |
2013-15 |
Butler |
| 509 |
Lisa Zderadicka |
2017-19 |
Houston Baptist |
| 496 |
Brittany Brown |
2008-10 |
Labette C.C. |
| 483 |
Brittany Kennedy |
2011-13 |
Oregon State |
| *469 |
Delia De La Torre |
2007-08 |
Garden City C.C. |
| *played two years, but only one at the Division I level |
Degrees And Buckets
Since the arrival of
Jordin Alexander from Brown University for the 2016-17 season, FGCU has had tremendous success with graduate transfers, including the program's first two-year such player,
Lisa Zderadicka. This year,
Ashli O'Neal is on pace to either come close or break the program's record for most single-season points by a graduate transfer.
Fun with Numbers and Stuff
Getting Things Started
The Eagles have used three different starting lineups this year.
5-1: Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly
4-0: Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Blair/Adderly
1-0: Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/List/Adderly
| Opponent |
Starting Lineup |
| FIU |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly |
| Webber International |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly |
| UCF |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly |
| Princeton |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly |
| Johnson & Wales |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Blair/Adderly |
| Saint Francis |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Blair/Adderly |
| Notre Dame |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Blair/Adderly |
| USF |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/List/Adderly |
| South Dakota State |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Blair/Adderly |
| Houston |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly |
| Florida Memorial |
Wingate/Jewett-Giles/Ulel/Phills/Adderly |
Upcoming Division I Era Career Milestones
Tytionia Adderly needs one point to break a tie with DyTiesha Dunson (673, 2012-16) for 15th-most points …
Keri Jewett-Giles needs eight more points to pass Erica Nelson (582, 2016-18) for 17th-most points …
Nasrin Ulel needs 14 more field goals to pass Kelsey Jacobson (385, 2008-12) for eighth-most …
Tytionia Adderly needs eight more field goals to pass China Dow (266, 2016-18) for 14th-most …
Keri Jewett-Giles needs six more 3-point field goals made to pass
Jenna Cobb (90, 2013-15) and seven more to pass Jaime Gluesing (91, 2012-16) for 16th and 15th, respectively …
Tytionia Adderly is four free throw attempts from passing Kelsey Jacobson (199, 2008-12) for 10th-most …
Tytionia Adderly needs 44 more rebounds to become the first in program history with 1,000 …
Nasrin Ulel needs seven more rebounds to pass
Shannon Murphy (276, 2007-11) for 16th-most …
Tytionia Adderly is 24 defensive rebounds away from passing Whitney Knight (621, 2011-16) for the most in program history …
Nasrin Ulel needs one offensive rebound to move into sole possession of 18th place and four more to pass
Jenna Cobb (64, 2013-15) for 17th …
Tytionia Adderly is five assists shy of passing Kelsey Jacobson (239, 2008-12) for eighth-most …
Keri Jewett-Giles needs nine more assists to pass Chelsea (Dermyer) Banbury (151, 2007-08) for 18th-most …
Nasrin Ulel needs one block to unbreak a tie with Brittany Kennedy (25, 2011-13) for ninth-most …
Kerstie Phills needs one more block to break a three-way tie for 15th-most …
Tytionia Adderly needs eight steals to pass
Shannon Murphy (168, 2007-11) for fourth-place …
Nasrin Ulel needs three more steals to pass Stephanie Haas (108, 2012-16z) for 11th-place …
Tytionia Adderly is one start shy of tying Kaneisha Atwater (102, 2013-16) for fifth-most, and she needs two more to tie
Shannon Murphy for fourth-place
ASUN Roundup
| Current Standings |
| Pl. |
Team |
Overall |
ASUN |
| 1. |
FGCU |
10-1 |
0-0 |
| 2. |
North Alabama |
6-2 |
0-0 |
| 3. |
Kennesaw State |
5-4 |
0-0 |
| 4. |
North Florida |
5-5 |
0-0 |
| 4. |
Jacksonville |
5-5 |
0-0 |
| 4. |
Stetson |
5-5 |
0-0 |
| 7. |
Liberty |
4-6 |
0-0 |
| 8. |
NJIT |
3-8 |
0-0 |
| 9. |
Lipscomb |
2-8 |
0-0 |
Weekly Schedule
Monday, Dec. 16
Lipscomb @ UT-Martin, 12 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Jacksonville @ Florida A&M, 6 p.m.
Central Connecticut State @ FGCU, 7 p.m.
North Alabama @ Alabama State, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 18
North Florida @ No. 8 Florida State, 7 p.m.
Liberty @ Saint Francis, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 19
Canisius @ Stetson, 1 p.m.
LSU @ FGCU, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 20
Bethune-Cookman @ Stetson, 11 a.m.
Liberty @ Bradley, 2 p.m.
Jacksonville @ Jacksonville State, 7 p.m.
Kennesaw State @ Duquesne, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 21
NJIT @ Columbia, 12 p.m.
Liberty @ Kansas City, 2 p.m.
Lipscomb @ Tennessee Tech, 3 p.m.
SIU Edwardsville @ North Alabama, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 22
FGCU @ Temple, 12 p.m.
*All Times Eastern
Extra Basketball
FGCU has made the postseason a record 12-straight seasons since becoming a Division I program.
| Year |
Finish |
Final Record |
| 2007-08 |
WNIT 2nd Round |
22-9. 13-3 ASUN |
| 2008-09 |
WNIT 2nd Round |
26-5, 17-3 ASUN |
| 2009-10 |
WNIT 1st Round |
24-7, 17-3 ASUN |
| 2010-11 |
WNIT 2nd Round |
28-4, 17-3 ASUN |
| 2011-12 |
NCAA 1st Round |
29-3, 18-0 ASUN |
| 2012-13 |
WNIT 1st Round |
27-7, 18-0 ASUN |
| 2013-14 |
NCAA 1st Round |
26-8, 17-1 ASUN |
| 2014-15 |
NCAA 2nd Round |
31-3, 14-0 ASUN |
| 2015-16 |
WNIT Finals |
33-6, 14-0 ASUN |
| 2016-17 |
NCAA 1st Round |
26-9, 12-2 ASUN |
| 2017-18 |
NCAA 2nd Round |
31-5, 13-1 ASUN |
| 2018-19 |
NCAA 1st Round |
28-5, 16-0 ASUN |
| All-Time Records vs 2019-20 Opponents |
| Opponent |
Record |
Streak |
Last Meeting |
| FIU |
11-0 |
W11 |
W 100-54 on Nov. 5, 2019 in Miami |
| Webber Int'l |
4-0 |
W4 |
W 99-48 on Nov. 7, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| UCF |
4-1 |
W1 |
W 72-50 on Nov. 13, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Princeton |
0-1 |
L1 |
L 67-53 on Nov. 17, 2019 in Princeton |
| Johnson & Wales |
4-0 |
W4 |
W 89-56 on Nov. 19, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Saint Francis |
3-0 |
W3 |
W 97-64 on Nov. 22, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Notre Dame |
1-0 |
W1 |
W 69-60 on Nov. 28, 2019 in Cancun |
| USF |
3-2 |
W2 |
W 81-77 on Nov. 29, 2019 in Cancun |
| South Dakota St. |
3-1 |
W1 |
W 71-70 on Nov. 30, 2019 in Cancun |
| Houston |
2-0 |
W2 |
W 57-45 on Dec. 4, 2019 in Houston |
| Florida Memorial |
12-0 |
W12 |
W 91-47 on Dec. 9, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Central Conn. St. |
1-0 |
W1 |
W 71-52 on Nov. 23, 2007 in Fort Myers |
| LSU |
1-1 |
L1 |
L 69-46 on Dec. 17, 2013 in Baton Rouge |
| Temple |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Duke |
0-1 |
L1 |
L 57-41 on Dec. 30, 2018 in Durham |
| Lipscomb |
25-0 |
W25 |
W 80-46 on Feb. 19, 2019 in Nashville |
| Liberty |
3-0 |
W3 |
W 72-49 on March 17, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Stetson |
25-4 |
W5 |
W 61-42 on March 5, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| North Florida |
24-3 |
W3 |
W 80-48 on Jan. 27, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| North Alabama |
5-0 |
W5 |
W 76-51 on Feb. 5, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Kennesaw State |
25-2 |
W19 |
W 77-48 on March 13, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| NJIT |
12-0 |
W12 |
W 58-45 on March 8, 2019 in Fort Myers |
| Jacksonville |
25-3 |
W6 |
W 68-62 on March 2, 2019 in Jacksonville |
Career Rankings in the ASUN
| 3-Point Field Goals Made |
| Place |
Name |
School |
Total |
Years Played |
| 1. |
Kelsey Jacobson |
FGCU |
330 |
2008-12 |
| 2. |
Taylor Gradinjan |
FGCU |
300 |
2013-18 |
| 2. |
Whitney Knight |
FGCU |
294 |
2012-16 |
| 3. |
Kristen Follis |
Stetson |
275 |
1990-94 |
| 4. |
Sherranda Reddick |
Jacksonville |
271 |
2013-17 |
| 5. |
Jadhken Kerr |
North Florida |
262 |
2008-13 |
| 6. |
Jenny Conkle |
Belmont |
256 |
2002-06 |
| 7. |
Kelly Guarino |
NJIT |
250 |
2015-19 |
| 8. |
Hollie Davis |
Belmont |
244 |
2001-05 |
| 9. |
Amber Rockwell |
Belmont |
234 |
2006-10 |
| 10. |
Brianti Saunders |
Stetson |
227 |
2013-17 |
| 11. |
LaTorria Matthews |
FAU |
220 |
1997-2001 |
| 12. |
Shannon Murphy |
FGCU |
219 |
2007-11 |
| 13. |
Lexie Richards |
Jacksonville |
209 |
1999-2003 |
| 14. |
Anna Bowers |
Lipscomb |
207 |
2008-12 |
| 15. |
Ashley Holliday |
Kennesaw State |
205 |
2009-13 |
| 16. |
Tee'Ara Copney |
USC Upstate |
199 |
2009-13 |
| 17. |
Chaquita Alexander |
Troy |
189 |
1999-2003 |
| 18. |
Nasrin Ulel |
FGCU |
179 |
2016-present |
| 19. |
Jasmyn Brown |
Jacksonville |
177 |
2015-19 |
|
Victoria McGowan |
Stetson |
177 |
2010-13 |
| 3-Point Field Goal Attempts |
| Place |
Name |
School |
Years |
Total |
| 1. |
Kelsey Jacobsen |
FGCU |
2008-12 |
846 |
|
Hollie Davis |
Belmont |
2001-05 |
846 |
| 3. |
Taylor Gradinjan |
FGCU |
2013-18 |
804 |
| 4. |
Jadhken Kerr |
North Florida |
2008-12 |
798 |
| 5. |
Whitney Knight |
FGCU |
2011-16 |
791 |
| 6. |
Kristen Follis |
Stetson |
1990-94 |
748 |
| 7. |
Jenny Conkle |
Belmont |
2002-06 |
718 |
| 8. |
Sherranda Reddick |
Jacksonville |
2013-17 |
704 |
| 9. |
Ashley Holliday |
Kennesaw State |
2009-13 |
700 |
| 10. |
Kelly Guarino |
NJIT |
2015-19 |
697 |
| 11. |
Anna Bowers |
Lipscomb |
2008-12 |
650 |
| 12. |
Brianti Saunders |
Stetson |
2013-17 |
639 |
| 13. |
Tee'Ara Copney |
USC Upstate |
2009-13 |
615 |
| 14. |
Shannon Murphy |
FGCU |
2007-11 |
597 |
| 15. |
Lexie Richards |
Jacksonville |
1999-2003 |
596 |
| 16. |
LaTorria Matthews |
FAU |
1997-2001 |
574 |
| 17. |
Anna Bowers |
Lipscomb |
2008-12 |
560 |
| 18. |
Jasmyn Brown |
Jacksonville |
2015-19 |
549 |
| 19. |
Jenna Bartsokas |
Lipscomb |
2007-11 |
545 |
| 20. |
Deandrea Sawyers |
Kennesaw State |
2013-17 |
540 |
| 21. |
Nasrin Ulel |
FGCU |
2016-present |
535 |
|
Amber Rockwell |
Belmont |
2006-10 |
535 |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (150 attempts, two years played) |
| Place |
Name |
School |
Years |
Percentage |
| 1. |
Heather Mayes |
Jacksonville St. |
1997-2000 |
.476 (120-for-252) |
| 2. |
Stacey Hinkle |
Campbell |
1998-2002 |
.464 (128-for-276) |
| 3. |
Albena Branzova |
FIU |
1991-95 |
.416 (77-for-185) |
| 4. |
Eglah Griffin |
FGCU |
2009-13 |
.409 (171-for-418) |
| 5. |
Jaime Gluesing |
FGCU |
2012-16 |
.404 (80-for-198) |
| 6. |
Nefertiti Walker |
Stetson |
2004-06 |
.392 (149-for-380) |
| 7. |
Brooke Wilhoit |
ETSU |
2005-07 |
.392 (87-for-222) |
| 8. |
Kelsey Jacobson |
FGCU |
2008-12 |
.390 (330-for-846) |
| 9. |
Shannon Murphy |
FGCU |
2007-11 |
.386 (85-for-220) |
| 10. |
Chandler Ryan |
FGCU |
2017-present |
.385 (84-for-218) |
*
Davion Wingate will qualify for the list with 18 more attempts. She is currently shooting .455 (60-for-132).
| Total Rebounds |
| Place |
Name |
School |
Years |
Total |
| 1. |
Phylette Blake |
Georgia Southern |
1985-89 |
1,242 |
| 2. |
Andrea Congreaves |
Mercer |
1989-93 |
1,141 |
| 3. |
Deneka Knowles |
Southeastern Louisiana |
1993-96 |
1,127 |
| 4. |
Brittany Starling |
USC Upstate |
2012-16 |
1,119 |
| 5. |
Siarre Evans |
ETSU |
2006-10 |
1,116 |
| 6. |
April Cromartie |
Campbell |
1998-2002 |
1,113 |
| 7. |
Felecia Autry |
Campbell |
1994-98 |
1,112 |
| 8. |
Sametria Gideon |
Kennesaw State |
2009-13 |
1,111 |
| 9. |
Albena Branzova |
FIU |
1991-95 |
1,092 |
| 10. |
Kayla Gordon |
Jacksonville |
2014-18 |
1,031 |
| 11. |
Brandi Miller |
Belmont |
2001-05 |
1,005 |
| 12. |
Shameka Smith |
Georgia State |
2002-07 |
992 |
| 13. |
Tytionia Adderly |
FGCU |
2016-present |
956 |
|
Kat Sungy |
Jacksonville |
1999-2003 |
956 |
| 15. |
Kristy Brown |
Stetson |
2001-05 |
941 |
ASUN Preseason Awards
This year's version of the Green and Blue features the ASUN preseason player of the year (
Nasrin Ulel) and defensive player of the year (
Tytionia Adderly). Both of those players also won those respective awards in the 2018-19 postseason.
Keri Jewett-Giles, meanwhile, was named to the 2019-20 ASUN preseason all-conference team.
| Preseason All-Conference Team |
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G |
Nasrin Ulel |
FGCU |
Sr. |
Murrieta, Calif. |
| G |
Keri Jewett-Giles |
FGCU |
Sr. |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| F |
Bridgette Rettstatt |
Liberty |
Jr. |
Galena, Ohio |
| F |
Brittany Panetti |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Katy, Texas |
| G |
Ivy Wallen |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Anderson, Ala. |
| F |
Jazz Bond |
North Florida |
Jr. |
Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| F |
Alexis Poole |
Kennesaw State |
Jr. |
Ellenwood, Ga. |
| G |
Kamiyah Street |
Kennesaw State |
Jr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| G |
Emily Lytle |
Liberty |
Jr. |
Memphis, Tenn. |
| F |
Day'Neshia Banks |
Stetson |
Jr. |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
FGCU was also picked to win this year's ASUN championship by both the conference coaches and media.
| Preseason Coaches Poll |
| Rk. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
FGCU (9) |
81 |
| 2. |
Liberty |
65 |
| 3. |
North Alabama |
63 |
| 4. |
Stetson |
54 |
| 5. |
North Florida |
47 |
| 6. |
Kennesaw State |
35 |
| 7. |
Jacksonville |
32 |
| 8. |
NJIT |
18 |
| 9. |
Lipscomb |
10 |
| *First place votes in parentheses |
| Preseason Media Poll |
| Rk. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
FGCU (36) |
324 |
| 2. |
Liberty |
268 |
| 3. |
North Alabama |
236 |
| 4. |
Stetson |
192 |
| 5. |
North Florida |
178 |
| 6. |
Jacksonville |
176 |
| 7. |
Kennesaw State |
128 |
| 8. |
NJIT |
60 |
| 9. |
Lipscomb |
58 |
| *First place votes in parentheses |
Florida Dominance
Entering this season, FGCU easily had the most wins among any Division I school in the state of Florida over the past five years, including 14 more than second-place Florida State.
| 1. |
FGCU |
149 |
| 2. |
Florida State |
135 |
| 3. |
South Florida |
120 |
| 4. |
Miami |
114 |
| 5. |
Stetson |
102 |
| 6. |
Bethune-Cookman |
97 |
| 7. |
Jacksonville |
95 |
| 8. |
UCF |
85 |
| 9. |
Florida |
69 |
| 10. |
North Florida |
56 |
| 11. |
Florida A&M |
49 |
|
Florida Atlantic |
49 |
| 13. |
Florida International |
26 |
Clutch DNA
Kerstie Phills (Bobby) and
Davion Wingate (David) are the daughters of former NBA stars. The late Bobby Phills played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets, while David Wingate won an NCAA title at Georgetown and played 15 years in the NBA with six teams.
Power 5 History
With their win over defending national runner-up Notre Dame last month, FGCU produced its sixth all-time win against an ACC school, which is its most against any Power 5 conference member. The Eagles have also won five against the SEC, four vs the Big 10 and one apiece against the Pac 12 and Big 12. They'll get a chance to improve their 17-27 all-time record against Power 5 schools on Dec. 19 vs No. 25 LSU and Dec. 29 vs Duke.
ACC: Notre Dame ('19), Wake Forest ('16) Clemson ('14), VT ('10, 11, 12)
Big 10: Illinois ('17), Michigan ('16), Michigan State ('11), Indiana ('10)
Big 12: Oklahoma State ('15)
SEC: Kentucky ('17), Auburn ('15), LSU ('12), Florida ('08), Missouri ('18)
Pac 12: Arizona ('15)
In terms of Alico Arena, FGCU has previously hosted 12 teams from a Power 5 conference at least once including Illinois, Michigan, Wake Forest, Auburn, Virginia, Virginia Tech, LSU, Michigan State, Indiana, Florida State and Florida. Of those previous contests, the Eagles earned wins in 10 - defeating Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Auburn, VT, LSU, Michigan State, Florida and Indiana.
By Location
10-3 in Alico Arena
6-11 in neutral site matchups
1-13 in true road matchups
By Conference
6-10 vs ACC
5-7 vs SEC
4-5 vs B1G
1-2 vs Big 12
1-3 vs Pac 12
| Game-By-Game |
| Date |
Result |
Opponent |
Location |
| *11/09/07 |
L 93-53 |
vs No. 19/19 Florida State |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 12/04/07 |
L 78-52 |
@ Florida |
Gainesville, Fla. |
| #03/24/08 |
L 60-55 |
@ Florida |
Gainesville, Fla. |
| 11/14/08 |
W 88-86 |
vs Florida |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 11/16/08 |
L 81-62 |
@ No. 21/24 Florida St. |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
| 11/21/09 |
L 58-48 |
@ Georgia Tech |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| 12/13/09 |
L 94-71 |
@ No. 21/24 Michigan St. |
East Lansing, Mich. |
| #03/18/10 |
L 70-57 |
@ Miami |
Coral Gables, Fla. |
| 11/25/10 |
W 73-65 |
vs Virginia Tech |
Riviera Maya, Mexico |
| 12/21/10 |
W 73-69 |
vs Indiana |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| #03/21/11 |
L 74-69 |
vs Florida |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 11/19/11 |
W 59-58 |
vs Michigan St. |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 12/21/11 |
W 69-41 |
vs Virginia Tech |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 12/28/11 |
L 69-64 |
vs NC State |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
| 11/23/12 |
L 65-46 |
vs South Carolina |
U.S. Virgin Islands |
| 12/16/12 |
W 63-56 |
@ Virginia Tech |
Blacksburg, Va. |
| 12/28/12 |
W 76-70 |
vs LSU |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 11/26/13 |
L 68-47 |
vs TCU |
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico |
| 11/27/13 |
L 83-59 |
vs No. 6/5 Stanford |
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico |
| 12/17/13 |
L 69-46 |
@ No. 12/12 LSU |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| 12/21/13 |
L 85-56 |
vs Virginia |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| ^03/22/14 |
L 61-60 (OT) |
vs Oklahoma St. |
West Lafayette, Ind. |
| 11/20/14 |
L 72-69 |
@ Auburn |
Auburn, Ala. |
| 11/28/14 |
W 86-61 |
vs Clemson |
U.S. Virgin Islands |
| 11/29/14 |
L 90-83 (2 OT) |
vs Ohio State |
U.S. Virgin Islands |
| ^03/21/15 |
W 75-67 |
vs Oklahoma St. |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
| ^03/23/15 |
L 65-47 |
@ Florida St. |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
| 12/19/15 |
L 65-60 |
vs No. 9/9 Mississippi St. |
San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| 12/20/15 |
W 57-55 |
vs Arizona |
San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| 12/30/15 |
W 52-45 |
vs Auburn |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| #03/21/16 |
W 67-48 |
vs Wake Forest |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| #03/31/16 |
W 71-62 |
vs Michigan |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 11/25/16 |
L 79-66 |
vs No. 8/8 Ohio State |
Estero, Fla. |
| 12/17/16 |
L 82-73 |
@ Illinois |
Champaign, Ill. |
| ^03/18/17 |
L 62-60 |
@ Miami |
Coral Gables, Fla. |
| 11/12/17 |
W 85-61 |
vs Illinois |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| 11/24/17 |
L 104-62 |
vs No. 9/8 Ohio State |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 12/08/17 |
W 70-64 |
vs No. 20/23 Kentucky |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| ^03/17/18 |
W 80-70 |
vs No. 17/15 Missouri |
Stanford, Calif. |
| ^03/19/18 |
L 90-70 |
@ No. 15/19 Stanford |
Stanford, Calif. |
| 11/23/18 |
L 88-65 |
vs No. 8/7 Stanford |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
| 12/30/18 |
L 57-41 |
@ Duke |
Durham, N.C. |
| ^03/22/19 |
L 69-62 |
@ Miami |
Coral Gables, Fla. |
| *FGCU's Division-I debut | ^ NCAA Tournament | #WNIT |
Overtime History
FGCU is 7-6 all-time in the NCAA Division-I era in overtime games following the 89-84 win over No. 21 DePaul on Nov. 23, 2017. That win also represented the team's first win over a ranked opponent in program history, and it was the first of three wins over ranked teams for the FGCU in 2017-18 (DePaul, Kentucky, Missouri).
AAC who?
After the 57-45 win over Houston earlier this month, FGCU is now 3-0 against American Athletic Conference (AAC) teams. They entered the season slated to face four of the top six teams in the AAC preseason poll, and they've now defeated USF (2nd), UCF (3rd) and Houston (5th). Temple, who was picked sixth, rounds out the action on Dec. 22.
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
UConn (11) |
121 |
| 2. |
USF |
107 |
| 3. |
UCF (1) |
96 |
|
Cincinnati |
96 |
| 5. |
Houston |
81 |
| 6. |
Temple |
68 |
Raining Threes
FGCU, which broke the NCAA's all-time record for most 3-pointers made in a season in 2017-18 with 431, is once again leading the nation in three of the four 3-point shooting categories. The only one they don't lead in is percentage, where they rank 79th nationally.
3-point field goals made
1. FGCU - 143
2. DePaul - 123
3. South Dakota - 121
4. Arkansas - 106
5. Boise State - 101
3-point field goals attempted
1. FGCU - 414
2. DePaul - 353
3. Colorado State - 294
4. Fordham - 293
5. Western Carolina - 292
3-point field goals made per game
1. FGCU - 13.0
2. DePaul - 12.3
3. Oregon - 10.9
4. Abilene Christian - 10.6
4. Saint Mary's - 10.6
NCAA 3-Point Shooting Records
| 3-Point FG Made Per Game |
| (since 1988) |
| Team |
Season |
G |
3FG |
Avg. |
| Sacramento St. |
†2015 |
34 |
*424 |
12.5 |
| Sacramento St. |
†2016 |
31 |
386 |
12.5 |
| Sacramento St. |
†2014 |
30 |
373 |
12.4 |
| DePaul |
†2018 |
35 |
422 |
12.1 |
| FGCU |
2018 |
36 |
431 |
12.0 |
| Idaho |
†2019 |
34 |
387 |
11.4 |
| FGCU |
2019 |
33 |
364 |
11.0 |
| DePaul |
2019 |
34 |
373 |
11.0 |
| FGCU |
†2012 |
32 |
342 |
10.7 |
| Sacramento St. |
†2017 |
30 |
320 |
10.7 |
| † led the nation that year |
| 3-Point FGs Made In A Season |
| (since 2011) |
| Total |
School |
Year |
| 431 |
FGCU |
2018 |
| 424 |
Sacramento State |
2015 |
| 422 |
DePaul |
2018 |
| 387 |
Idaho |
2019 |
| 386 |
Sacramento State |
2016 |
| 374 |
Oregon |
2019 |
| 373 |
Sacramento State |
2014 |
| 373 |
DePaul |
2019 |
| 372 |
FGCU |
2016 |
| 364 |
DePaul |
2015 |
| 364 |
FGCU |
2019 |
| 357 |
Washington |
2017 |
| 357 |
Belmont |
2018 |
| 354 |
Idaho |
2017 |
| 353 |
Saint Francis |
2018 |
| 350 |
Idaho |
2016 |
| 347 |
FGCU |
2014 |
| 346 |
Idaho |
2018 |
| 342 |
FGCU |
2012 |
| 341 |
Ohio |
2019 |
| 341 |
Belmont |
2019 |
| 3-Point FGs Attempted in a Season |
| Since 2012 |
| Total |
Team |
Year |
| 1,339 |
Sacramento State |
2015 |
| 1,318 |
Sacramento State |
2016 |
| 1,194 |
FGCU |
2016 |
| 1,190 |
FGCU |
2018 |
| 1,171 |
Sacramento State |
2014 |
| 1,159 |
DePaul |
2018 |
| 1,152 |
Saint Francis |
2018 |
| 1,132 |
Syracuse |
2016 |
| 1,121 |
DePaul |
2019 |
| 1,111 |
FGCU |
2019 |
| 1,094 |
Sacramento State |
2017 |
| 1,077 |
Kansas State |
2013 |
| 1,073 |
Saint Francis |
2017 |
| 1,058 |
FGCU |
2017 |
| 1,047 |
DePaul |
2015 |
| 1,032 |
Idaho |
2019 |
| 1,017 |
Ohio |
2016 |
| 1,016 |
Idaho |
2017 |
| 1,004 |
Oregon |
2014 |
| 1,000 |
FGCU |
2014 |
| FGCUs 3-Point FGs Made By Season |
| National Finish |
| Year |
Total |
Finish |
| 2012 |
342 |
1st |
| 2013 |
319 |
3rd |
| 2014 |
347 |
2nd |
| 2015 |
327 |
5th |
| 2016 |
372 |
2nd |
| 2017 |
338 |
3rd |
| *2018 |
431 |
1st |
| 2019 |
364 |
4th |
| *Current NCAA record |
Going Streaking
Since taking over as FGCU's head coach, head coach
Karl Smesko has guided the program to 15 winning streaks lasting at least 10 games, led by a 34-game streak from Nov. 16, 2006 to March 22, 2007. The top Division I era winning streak is 26 games from Dec. 6, 2014 to March 21, 2015, and he led the Eagles to a 19-game streak last year, which was the third-longest in the nation when it was snapped in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
| Division I Era Winning Streaks (2007-present) |
| Streak |
Start |
End |
| 26 games |
12/6/14 |
3/21/15 |
| 21 games |
12/29/11 |
3/3/12 |
| 21 games |
12/28/12 |
3/8/13 |
| 21 games |
12/20/15 |
3/31/16 |
| 19 games |
1/5/19 |
3/17/19 |
| 17 games |
1/10/09 |
3/19/09 |
| 14 games |
12/12/10 |
1/17/11 |
| 12 games |
12/20/16 |
2/2/17 |
| 12 games |
2/6/14 |
3/16/14 |
| 11 games |
2/3/18 |
3/17/18 |
| 10 games |
12/20/17 |
1/27/18 |
| Non-Division I Era Winning Streaks (2002-07) |
| Streak |
Start |
End |
| 34 games |
11/16/06 |
3/22/07 |
| 21 games |
12/21/02 |
2/15/03 |
| 17 games |
12/29/05 |
3/10/06 |
| ^13 games |
3/1/05 |
12/20/05 |
| ^covered parts of two seasons |
In terms of regular season winning streaks, Smesko's longest is a 45-game stretch from Dec. 29, 2005 through March 3, 2007. The streak encompassed the final two seasons of the program's Division II era.
| Regular Season Winning Streaks (02-present) |
| Streak |
Start |
End |
| 45 games |
12/29/05 |
3/3/07 |
| 23 games |
12/6/14 |
11/13/15 |
| 22 games |
12/28/12 |
11/20/13 |
| 20 games |
12/29/11 |
11/14/12 |
| 19 games |
12/20/15 |
2/27/16 |
| 19 games |
1/5/19 |
11/17/19 |
| 17 games |
1/10/09 |
11/13/09 |
| 11 games |
2/6/14 |
11/18/14 |
Power of Alico Arena
Since opening its doors in December 2002, Alico Arena has served as the centerpiece of FGCU athletics … and a nightmare for opposing women's basketball teams. In fact, over a stretch that spanned nine years, the Green and Blue won 75 consecutive ASUN regular season games. Entering Tuesday's tilt against Central Connecticut State, the Eagles have produced the following numbers at home.
270-19 (.934) in games at Alico Arena
192-13 (.937) in Division-I era games at Alico Arena
98-2 (.980) in ASUN regular season games at Alico Arena
| FGCU in Alico Arena By Season |
| 2002-03 |
15-0 |
| 2003-04 |
12-1 |
| 2004-05 |
11-4 |
| 2005-06 |
17-1 |
| 2006-07 |
23-0 |
| 2007-08 |
12-2 |
| 2008-09 |
15-1 |
| 2009-10 |
14-0 |
| 2010-11 |
18-1 |
| 2011-12 |
13-0 |
| 2012-13 |
13-2 |
| 2013-14 |
16-2 |
| 2014-15 |
16-0 |
| 2015-16 |
19-3 |
| 2016-17 |
17-1 |
| 2017-18 |
18-0 |
| 2018-19 |
17-1 |
| 2019-20 |
4-0 |
| FGCU in Alico Arena |
| ASUN Regular Season Games |
| 2007-08 |
8-0 |
| 2008-09 |
9-1 |
| 2009-10 |
10-0 |
| 2010-11 |
10-0 |
| 2011-12 |
9-0 |
| 2012-13 |
9-0 |
| 2013-14 |
8-0 |
| 2014-15 |
7-0 |
| 2015-16 |
7-0 |
| 2016-17 |
6-1 |
| 2017-18 |
7-0 |
| 2018-19 |
8-0 |
Bracketology
Charlie Crème's latest Bracketology has FGCU slotted as a No. 11 seed in the Dallas region with a matchup against No. 6 Michigan in Raleigh.
From Walk On To Full Scholarship
Junior
Alyssa Blair, who started her career as a walk-on, earned a full scholarship prior to the season. The team surprised her during a game of Ellen's "Heads Up" app during a team bonding session.
Cancun Challenge Champs
On Nov. 28-30, FGCU knocked off Notre Dame, No. 20 USF and South Dakota State over three consecutive days to capture the Cancun Challenge championship in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Over the past 10 seasons, the Eagles have hit the road to face big-name opponents and tough competition nine times - in addition to hosting the Gulf Coast Showcase in November 2016. This year was the team's third trip to Mexico, including the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta in 2013-14 and the Caribbean Challenge in Riviera Maya in 2010-11.
2010-11 - Caribbean Challenge (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
2011-12 - Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Honolulu, Hawaii)
2012-13 - U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)
2013-14 - Hardwood Tournament of Hope (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
2014-15 - U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)
2015-16 - Puerto Rico Classic (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
2016-17 - Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.)
2017-18 - Play4Kay Shootout (Las Vegas, Nevada)
2018-19 - Rainbow Wahine Showdown (Honolulu, Hawaii)
2019-20 - Cancun Challenge (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
Fun with Rankings
For the second consecutive time, FGCU sat just outside the top 25 in the two major national polls last week, receiving the 27th-most votes in the Associated Press and 26th-most in the Coaches Poll. However, they rose two spots in the Coaches Poll from 28th the prior week.
Thus, the Eagles are on the cusp of potentially earning their first ranking since finishing 25th in the Coaches Poll on April 2, 2018. Their last AP ranking came April 6, 2015 when they finished the season 21st. The new polls come out each Monday (AP) and Tuesday (Coaches).
Here's a history of FGCU in the AP and Coaches Polls:
| FGCU's History In National Polls |
| AP Poll |
| Feb. 16, 2015 |
No. 22 |
| Feb. 23, 2015 |
No. 21 |
| March 2, 2015 |
No. 20 |
| March 9, 2015 |
No. 20 |
| March 16, 2015 |
No. 20 |
|
| Coaches Poll |
| Feb. 16, 2015 |
No. 24 |
| Feb. 23, 2015 |
No. 22 |
| March 2, 2015 |
No. 21 |
| March 9, 2015 |
No. 21 |
| March 16, 2015 |
No. 21 |
| April 6, 2015 |
No. 21 |
| Feb. 1, 2018 |
No. 25 |
| April 2, 2018 |
No. 25 |
Here's both current major national polls, along with the two mid-major rankings - CollegeInsider.com and espnW.
| AP Poll (Dec. 16) |
| Rk. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Record |
Votes |
| 1. |
Stanford (27) |
9-0 |
747 |
| 2. |
UConn (1) |
8-0 |
685 |
| 3. |
Oregon (1) |
8-1 |
679 |
| 4. |
Oregon State (1) |
9-0 |
653 |
| 5. |
South Carolina |
10-1 |
633 |
| 6. |
Louisville |
10-1 |
599 |
| 7. |
Baylor |
8-1 |
598 |
| 8. |
Florida State |
10-0 |
549 |
| 9. |
NC State |
10-0 |
497 |
| 10. |
UCLA |
9-0 |
459 |
| 11. |
Texas A&M |
9-1 |
447 |
| 12. |
Indiana |
10-1 |
422 |
| 13. |
Maryland |
8-2 |
398 |
| 14. |
Kentucky |
10-1 |
361 |
| 15. |
Mississippi State |
8-2 |
333 |
| 16. |
DePaul |
9-1 |
314 |
| 17. |
Gonzaga |
9-1 |
256 |
| 18. |
Arizona |
10-0 |
242 |
| 19. |
Michigan State |
7-2 |
153 |
| 20. |
Missouri State |
9-1 |
151 |
| 21. |
Arkansas |
10-1 |
123 |
| 22. |
West Virginia |
7-1 |
115 |
| 23. |
Tennessee |
8-1 |
100 |
| 24. |
Michigan |
9-1 |
77 |
| 25. |
South Dakota |
12-1 |
45 |
Others receiving votes: Miami 42,
FGCU 37, Minnesota 20, Rutgers 7, Colorado 4, Arizona State 1, TCU 1, Ohio State 1, Kansas 1
| USA Today Coaches Poll |
| Rk. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Record |
| 1. |
Stanford (28) |
8-0 |
| 2. |
UConn (3) |
8-0 |
| 3. |
Oregon |
7-1 |
| 4. |
Oregon State |
8-0 |
| 5. |
Baylor |
8-1 |
| 6. |
South Carolina |
9-1 |
| 7. |
Louisville |
9-1 |
| 8. |
Florida State |
9-0 |
| 9. |
NC State |
9-0 |
| 10. |
UCLA |
8-0 |
| 11. |
Kentucky |
9-0 |
| 12. |
Maryland |
8-2 |
| 13. |
Texas A&M |
7-1 |
| 14. |
Mississippi State |
8-2 |
| 15. |
Indiana |
8-1 |
| 16. |
DePaul |
7-1 |
| 17. |
Gonzaga |
8-1 |
| 18. |
Missouri State |
8-1 |
| 19. |
Arizona |
9-0 |
| 20. |
Arkansas |
8-1 |
| 21. |
South Dakota |
9-1 |
| 22. |
Michigan |
8-1 |
| 23. |
Michigan State |
6-2 |
| 24. |
Tennessee |
7-1 |
| 25. |
West Virginia |
6-1 |
Others receiving votes:
Florida Gulf Coast 46; Miami 23; Princeton 14; Minnesota 13; Arizona State 12; Creighton 6; Northwestern 5; Rutgers 3; LSU 3; Drake 3; South Florida 1; Ohio St. 1; Iowa State 1.
| CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll |
| Rk. |
Team |
W-L |
Pts. |
Prev. |
Conference |
| 1. |
Gonzaga (26) |
8-1 |
767 |
1 |
West Coast |
| 2. |
Missouri State (3) |
8-1 |
741 |
2 |
Missouri Valley |
| 3. |
South Dakota (2) |
9-1 |
718 |
3 |
Summit |
| 4. |
Princeton |
7-1 |
661 |
4 |
Ivy League |
| 5. |
FGCU |
9-1 |
647 |
5 |
ASUN |
| 6. |
Drake |
7-2 |
633 |
6 |
Missouri Valley |
| 7. |
James Madison |
6-2 |
564 |
8 |
Colonial |
| 8. |
Buffalo |
7-2 |
527 |
9 |
Mid-American |
| 9. |
BYU |
3-3 |
504 |
7 |
West Coast |
| 10. |
Ohio |
6-2 |
476 |
13 |
Mid-American |
| 11. |
Penn |
7-1 |
452 |
14 |
Ivy League |
| 12. |
South Dakota State |
6-4 |
429 |
12 |
Summit |
| 13. |
Marist |
5-2 |
408 |
10 |
Metro Atlantic |
| 14. |
Central Michigan |
4-3 |
378 |
15 |
Mid-American |
| 15. |
Green Bay |
5-4 |
367 |
11 |
Horizon |
| 16. |
Abilene Christian |
6-1 |
301 |
18 |
Southland |
| 17. |
Drexel |
6-3 |
205 |
21 |
Colonial |
| 18. |
Pacific |
6-2 |
204 |
16 |
West Coast |
| 19. |
Lehigh |
7-2 |
196 |
22 |
Patriot |
| 20. |
Wright State |
5-3 |
165 |
17 |
Horizon |
| 21. |
Harvard |
7-3 |
128 |
19 |
Ivy League |
| 22. |
Rider |
4-2 |
113 |
23 |
Metro Atlantic |
| 23. |
Northern Iowa |
5-3 |
94 |
20 |
Missouri Valley |
| 24. |
Stony Brook |
9-1 |
86 |
NR |
America East |
| 25. |
UTA |
5-3 |
51 |
NR |
Sun Belt |
| espnW Mid-Major Poll |
| 1. |
Missouri State |
6-1 |
| 2. |
Gonzaga |
3-1 |
| 3. |
South Dakota |
5-1 |
| 4. |
Drake |
4-1 |
| 5. |
Ohio |
4-1 |
| 6. |
Northern Iowa |
5-0 |
| 7. |
Princeton |
5-1 |
| 8. |
Marist |
5-0 |
| 9. |
FGCU |
5-1 |
| 10. |
Western Kentucky |
4-1 |
RPI Heights Reached Few Times Before
In addition to the national polls, FGCU opened at No. 15 in this year's first official NCAA RPI on Dec. 9, which was the program's second-highest slot all-time behind a No. 13 ranking on March 8 and 9 of 2015. In fact, the Eagles were ranked 19th or better 15 times during that 2014-15 season. Outside of this year, the only other team the Green and Blue achieved that high of an RPI was Dec. 31, 2017 (19th).
Furthermore, FGCU's only loss this year came to Princeton, who is currently 9-1 overall and ranked 9th in the latest RPI. And they've defeated three top 100 RPI teams - South Dakota State (64th), Notre Dame (72nd) and UCF (97th).
Three other top 100 RPI teams - Duke (22nd), LSU (42nd) and Temple (66th) - are also on tap for FGCU the rest of the month.
Rare Air
FGCU is just one of four programs at the NCAA Division I level to win 25 or more games in each season since 2010-11. The others? UConn, Baylor and Notre Dame.
Coaching Staff Shuffle, Coaching Tree Grows
This past offseason, associate head coach
Chelsea Banbury took the head job at High Point University, while assistant coach
Jenna Cobb left the program as she got married and moved across the country. Banbury, outside of hiring former Akron head coach Jodi Kest, loaded up on former Eagles while comprising her staff. She hired Jaime Gluesing as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator, Brittany Brown as assistant coach and Jessica Cattani as director of basketball operations.
Meanwhile, Coach Smesko elevated
Chelsea Lyles to associate head coach, while hiring one of the program's top former point guards,
Shannon Murphy, in an assistant coach role. On top of that,
Mandi Pierce was promoted from director of basketball operations to assistant coach, and
Janelle Silver was hired as the video coordinator to replace another promotion -
Sydnei McCaskill to director of operations.
Rise of Nasrin Ulel
Nasrin Ulel, who played just over eight minutes per game off the bench as a freshman, started 34 of 36 games as a sophomore while averaging nearly 10 points per game. Last year, she tallied a team-high 14.6 points per contest while ascending to ASUN player of the year recognition. This season, she became just the 10th player in the program's Division I era to reach 1,000 points in the Green and Blue - despite scoring just 99 as a freshman.
She's Back!
On Aug. 1,
Keri Jewett-Giles announced that she would return for her graduate senior year after initially deciding to step away from basketball to work on a non-profit organization she intended to start. The announcement provided a big boost for the Eagles, who had already secured the addition of Indiana State graduate transfer
, Ashli O'Neal. Those two have joined
Nasrin Ulel and
Davion Wingate to join one of, if not the best, group of guards in the nation.
Wingate on A Tear
Davion Wingate, who is averaging a career-best 16.5 points per game, is one of only two players in the nation shooting at least 60 percent from the field on at least 110 field goal attempts. The senior guard, who transferred from Stony Brook and suited up for the Green and Blue for the first time last year, scored at least 13 points in four of the final five games last year en route to leading the ASUN in 3-point field goal percentage at .434. This year, she has started even better, shooting .607 from the field, .490 from 3-point range and .840 from the foul line. In fact, once she attempts 18 more 3-point field goals, she'll qualify for the ASUN's all-time percentage leaders list, and she would rank third (.455, 60-for-132) at her current pace.
Rebounding Legend, All-Around Great
Senior forward
Tytionia Adderly recently eclipsed Sarah Hansen's (887, 2010-14) career rebounding record, and she now has 956, which puts her 44 away from becoming only the 12th player in ASUN history to reach 1,000. Currently, she is one rebound shy of breaking a tie with Kat Sungy (Jacksonville, 1999-2003, 956) for 13th-most. Meanwhile, Adderly is one of only four players in the program's Division I history to rank in the top 10 in career rebounds, assists, steals and blocks - joining Sarah Hansen, Whitney Knight and DyTiesha Dunson.
Adderly's 11 career double-doubles ranks as the third-most in the program's Division I era behind Sarah Hansen (20) and Whitney Knight (19). The overall leader is Robyn Swain, who had 28 from 2002-04 in the first two seasons of the program.
On top of all that, Adderly ranks fourth among all active Division I women's basketball players in career rebounds.
| Rk. |
Player |
School |
Total |
| 1. |
Ruthy Hebard |
Oregon |
1,076 |
| 2. |
Bayley Plummer |
Appalachian State |
1,062 |
| 3. |
Chance Graham |
Coppin State |
970 |
| 4. |
Tytionia Adderly |
FGCU |
956 |
| 5. |
Lauren Manis |
Holy Cross |
940 |
O'Neal Wins 3rd Straight ASUN Honor, Makes History
Ashli O'Neal won her third consecutive ASUN newcomer of the week award last week. While that streak is guaranteed to be snapped this week since the Eagles are in the midst of an eight-day layoff, she has already tied
Destiny Washington (2018-19),
Keri Jewett-Giles (2018-19), Rosemarie Julien (2016-17) and Sarah Hansen (2010-11) for the most ASUN newcomer of the week awards in program history. Her most recent selection also represents the 30th time a member of the Green and Blue has won the award.
| Date |
Player,
School |
Newcomer,
School |
Freshman,
School |
| Dec. 10 |
Milena Bajic,
NJIT |
Ashli O'Neal,
FGCU |
Kenna Squier,
NJIT |
| Dec. 3 |
Keri Jewett-Giles,
FGCU |
Ashli O'Neal,
FGCU |
Maria Fux,
NJIT |
| Nov. 26 |
Janesha Green,
North Florida |
Ashli O'Neal,
FGCU |
Jalyn Holcomb,
Lipscomb |
| Nov. 19 |
Kamiyah Street,
Kennesaw St. |
Destiny Marshall,
Jacksonville |
Casey Collier,
Lipscomb |
| Nov. 12 |
Alexis Poole
Kennesaw State |
Olivia Noah,
North Alabama |
Jaida Bond,
North Alabama |
Winningest Of All-Time?
Looking ahead, Coach Smesko has the Eagles on pace to become Division I's all-time leader in winning percentage by the end of 2020-21 season once FGCU reaches the required 10 years of full NCAA Division I membership.
The Eagles are 463-92 (.834) as a program entering 2019-20. The only other team that held an .800 or above percentage entering this year is Tennessee (.808).
| Winningest Programs All-Time By Percentage |
| Entering 2019-20 |
| # School |
1st Yr. |
Yrs. |
Record |
Pct. |
| * FGCU |
2002 |
17 |
463-92 |
.834 |
| 1. Tennessee |
1903 |
65 |
1,363-333 |
.803# |
| 2. UConn |
1975 |
45 |
1,153-301 |
.793 |
| 3. Louisiana Tech |
1975 |
45 |
1,124-337 |
.769 |
| 4. Stanford |
1975 |
45 |
1,091-334 |
.766 |
| 5. Notre Dame |
1978 |
42 |
999-333 |
.750 |
| 6. Green Bay |
1974 |
46 |
1,005-350 |
.742 |
| 7. Texas |
1975 |
45 |
1,088-398 |
.732 |
| 8. Montana |
1975 |
45 |
932-390 |
.705 |
| 9. SFA |
1969 |
51 |
1,080-457 |
.703 |
| 10. S. Dakota St. |
1967 |
53 |
995-424 |
.701 |
| # Includes two ties |
| *Unofficial |
ASUN Dominance
FGCU joined the ASUN prior the 2007-08 season and immediately saw success among the ranks. The team has now won nine of the past 12 regular-season championships with a record of 186-16 over that span. The Eagles have never finished lower than second in the final standings and maintain a 99-2 record in ASUN games played at Alico Arena entering 2019-20. If that isn't enough, the Eagles are 124-4 against ASUN competition in the regular season and won six of eight tournament titles since earning postseason eligibility during the 2011-12 season.
The Eagles currently carry the fifth-longest conference winning streak in the nation.
| Longest Conference Winning Streaks |
| Division I |
| Rk. |
School |
Streak |
| 1. |
UConn |
136 |
| 2. |
Quinnipiac |
52 |
| 3. |
Baylor |
42 |
| 4. |
Mercer |
34 |
| 5. |
FGCU |
28 |
Overall, FGCU has a pair of 44-game ASUN regular season winning streaks, which are both tied with Baylor and Hampton for the 12th-longest conference streaks in NCAA Division I history. In fact, the current 28-game stretch also ranks among the top 20 all-time.
Interestingly, both 44-game streaks started against ETSU. The first one began on Dec. 3, 2011 and ended on Feb. 1, 2014 vs Northern Kentucky. The second one began Feb. 6, 2014 and ended Feb. 4, 2017 vs Jacksonville. The first one spanned parts of three seasons, while the second one saw parts of four seasons.
Since joining the ASUN in 2007-08, FGCU has held opponents to 39 or fewer points 19 times in conference play, including twice against Jacksonville. The program record for fewest points allowed in a conference game is 24, which came in a 32-point win over North Florida Feb. 25, 2015.
| 39 Points or Below vs ASUN opponents |
| Regular Season Only |
| Date |
Result and Opponent |
| 03/01/08 |
W 70-39 vs North Florida |
| 01/03/11 |
W 79-39 vs Belmont |
| 01/07/12 |
W 68-34 vs North Florida |
| 02/11/12 |
W 54-34 vs Belmont |
| 12/31/12 |
W 62-35 @ Kennesaw State |
| 01/21/13 |
W 67-37 vs Lipscomb |
| 02/16/13 |
W 89-39 @ Lipscomb |
| 03/02/13 |
W 74-36 vs Kennesaw State |
| 01/25/14 |
W 54-34 vs North Florida |
| 01/17/15 |
W 60-37 @ Jacksonville |
| 02/07/15 |
W 61-39 @ Stetson |
| 02/25/15 |
W 56-24 @ North Florida |
| 01/18/16 |
W 70-37 vs NJIT |
| 01/24/16 |
W 71-39 @ Lipscomb |
| 01/30/16 |
W 65-38 @ North Florida |
| 02/04/16 |
W 58-39 vs Jacksonville |
| 02/13/16 |
W 53-32 @ NJIT |
| 02/11/17 |
W 69-35 vs Kennesaw State |
| 01/29/19 |
W 67-35 @ NJIT |
Here's some other notable achievements for FGCU in the ASUN:
- In 2018-19, FGCU finished undefeated in ASUN play and won the conference tournament in the same season for the third time since the program became eligible for the tournament in 2011-12. Prior to that, only one other team (FIU, 1992-93) had accomplished that in the now 34-year history of the conference. On top of that, the Eagles now own five undefeated regular seasons since 2012 alone. The conference has only seen two other such seasons since 1986 (FIU, 1995-96 and FIU, 1992-93).
- FGCU is just the fourth ASUN women's basketball program to win three straight ASUN championships and the first since 2008-10 (ETSU). Also, Georgia State won three straight from 2001-03 (3 straight), while FIU nabbed four straight from 1992-96.
- The Eagles have appeared in eight consecutive ASUN tournament championship games, the longest streak in conference history. The previous records were Georgia Southern (1986-90, five straight), FIU (1992-95, four straight), Georgia State (2000-03, four straight) and ETSU (2007-10, four straight).
- FGCU's win over Liberty in last year's ASUN championship game gave them the most conference tournament wins in ASUN history with 22 (in only 24 games over eight years), surpassing FIU's 21 (took 11 years) and Georgia State's 20 (took 20 years). FGCU has done it in seven years of eligibility. The next closest current ASUN member is Jacksonville with 16.
- On a related note, the Green and Blue's .917 winning percentage in the conference tournament tops anyone else. The closest current member is Jacksonville (16-15, .516) and the best former members include FIU (21-5, .809) and Georgia Southern (13-4, .765).
- FGCU has led the conference in scoring average the past three seasons, margin of victory the past five years, 3-point field goals per game every year in the ASUN, turnover margin every year since 2009-10 and steals per game the past two years.
- FGCU is looking to become the first ASUN program (past or present) to win 10 regular season conference championships. They are currently tied with FIU at nine, but FGCU has nine outright titles, while FIU has seven. Additionally, the Eagles have dominated the league so much that only one other current member school has an ASUN regular season title (Stetson, 2017).
| ASUN regular season championship history |
| 2019 |
FGCU |
| 2018 |
FGCU |
| 2017 |
Stetson |
| 2016 |
FGCU |
| 2015 |
FGCU |
| 2014 |
FGCU |
| 2013 |
FGCU |
| 2012 |
FGCU |
| 2011 |
FGCU |
| 2010 |
ETSU |
| 2009 |
FGCU |
| 2008 |
ETSU |
| 2007 |
Belmont |
| 2006 |
Belmont |
| 2005 |
UCF |
| 2004 |
UCF | Belmont | Georgia State | Lipscomb |
| 2003 |
UCF |
| 2002 |
Georgia State |
| 2001 |
Campbell |
| 2000 |
Georgia State |
| 1999 |
UCF |
| 1998 |
FIU |
| 1997 |
FIU |
| 1996 |
FIU |
| 1995 |
FIU |
| 1994 |
FIU |
| 1993 |
FIU |
| 1992 |
FIU | Mercer |
| 1991 |
Mercer |
| 1990 |
Georgia Southern | FIU |
| 1989 |
FIU |
| 1988 |
Georgia Southern |
| 1987 |
Georgia Southern |
| 1986 |
Florida A&M |
| Most ASUN regular season titles |
|
| School |
Titles |
Outright |
| FGCU |
9 |
9 |
| FIU |
9 |
7 |
| UCF |
4 |
3 |
| Georgia State |
3 |
2 |
| Georgia Southern |
3 |
|
| Belmont |
3 |
|
| ETSU |
2 |
|
| Mercer |
2 |
|
| Stetson |
1 |
|
| Florida A&M |
1 |
|
| Campbell |
1 |
|
| Lipscomb |
1 |
|
NCAA Team Statistical Leaders (Top 50)
Assist/Turnover Ratio - 4th, 1.56
Assists - 16th, 179
Assists/Game - 45th, 16.3
Fewest Turnovers - 34th, 115
Scoring Margin - 24th, 21.9
Scoring Offense - 17th, 79.9
Steals - 12th, 119
Steals/Game - 44th, 10.8
Turnover Margin - 1st, 11.27
Turnovers Forced - 24th, 21.73
Fewest Turnovers/Game - 2nd, 10.5
W/L Percentage - 14th, .909
NCAA Individual Statistical Leaders (Top 50)
Defensive Rebounds/Game - Adderly (19th, 7.5)
Field Goals Made - Wingate (32nd, 68)
Field Goal Percentage - Wingate (23rd, .607)
Total Points - Wingate (41st, 181)
Total Rebounds - Adderly (7th, 110)
Rebounds/Game - Adderly (34th, 10.0)
3-Point FGs Attempted - Ulel (36th, 73)
3-Point FG Percentage - Wingate (13th, .490)
FGCU Division I era career records
(2007-present)
Points
1. 1,901 - Sarah HANSEN (132 games) - 2010-14
2. 1,574 - Whitney KNIGHT (130 games) - 2011-12,13-16
3. 1,312 - Kaneisha ATWATER (106 games) - 2013-16
4. 1,263 - Kelsey JACOBSON (124 games) - 2008-12
5. 1,234 - Taylor GRADINJAN (148 games) - 2012-13,14-18
6. 1,185 - Shannon MURPHY (124 games) - 2007-11
7. 1,181 - Adrianne MCNALLY (93 games) - 2007-10
8. 1,138 - Stephanie HAAS (139 games) - 2012-16
9. 1,040 - Nasrin ULEL (106 games) - 2016-present
10. 1,016 - Courtney CHIHIL (120 games) - 2008-12
Field goals made
1. 685 - Sarah HANSEN (132 games) - 2010-14
2. 523 - Whitney KNIGHT (130 games) - 2011-12,13-16
3. 457 - Kaneisha ATWATER (106 games) - 2013-16
4. 424 - Taylor GRADINJAN (148 games) - 2012-13,14-18
5. 414 - Stephanie HAAS (139 games) - 2012-16
6. 409 - Adrianne MCNALLY (93 games) - 2007-10
7. 402 - Shannon MURPHY (124 games) - 2007-11
8. 385 - Kelsey JACOBSON (124 games) - 2008-12
9. 372 - Nasrin ULEL (106 games) - 2016-present
10. 326 - Courtney CHIHIL (120 games) - 2008-12
3-point field goals made
1. 330 - Kelsey JACOBSON (124 games) - 2008-12
2. 299 - Taylor GRADINJAN (148 games) - 2012-13,14-18
3. 294 - Whitney KNIGHT (130 games) - 2011-12,13-16
4. 219 - Shannon MURPHY (124 games) - 2007-11
5. 179 - Nasrin ULEL (106 games) - 2016-present
6. 171 - Eglah GRIFFIN (95 games) - 2009-12
7. 123 - Haley LAUGHTER (90 games) - 2014-17
8. 122 - Courtney CHIHIL (120 games) - 2008-12
122 - Rosemarie JULIEN (71 games) - 2016-18
10. 114 - Sarah HANSEN (132 games) - 2010-14
Rebounds
1. 956 - Tytionia ADDERLY (368o-588d) - 2016-present
2. 887 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
3. 735 - Whitney KNIGHT (114o-621d) - 2011-12,13-16
4. 603 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
5. 508 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
6. 504 - Adrianne MCNALLY (175o-329d) - 2007-10
7. 498 - Taylor GRADINJAN (117o-381d) - 2012-13,14-18
8. 422 - Katie MEADOR (193o-229d) - 2012-16
9. 385 - DyTiesha DUNSON (61o-324d) - 2012-16
10. 365 - Stephanie HAAS (96o-269d) - 2012-16
Assists
1. 454 - DyTiesha DUNSON - 2012-16
2. 419 - Shannon MURPHY - 2007-11
3. 333 - Courtney CHIHIL - 2008-12
4. 285 - Adrianne MCNALLY - 2007-10
5. 260 - Brittany KENNEDY - 2011-13
6. 250 - Sarah HANSEN - 2010-14
7. 245 - Whitney KNIGHT - 2011-12,13-16
8. 239 - Kelsey JACOBSON - 2008-12
9. 235 - Tytionia ADDERLY - 2016-present
10. 229 - Kaneisha ATWATER - 2013-16
Steals
1. 249 - Sarah HANSEN - 2010-14
2. 206 - Whitney KNIGHT - 2011-12,13-16
3. 199 - Courtney CHIHIL - 2008-12
4. 168 - Shannon MURPHY - 2007-11
5. 161 - Tytionia ADDERLY - 2016-present
6. 153 - Kaneisha ATWATER - 2013-16
7. 148 - Brittany KENNEDY - 2011-13
8. 143 - DyTiesha DUNSON - 2012-16
9. 114 - Taylor GRADINJAN - 2012-13,14-18
10. 112 - Jenna COBB - 2013-15
Games started
1. 131 - Sarah HANSEN - 2010-14
2. 126 - Taylor GRADINJAN - 2012-13,14-18
3. 111 - Courtney CHIHIL - 2008-12
4. 103 - Shannon MURPHY - 2007-11
5. 102 - Kaneisha ATWATER - 2013-16
6. 101 - Tytionia ADDERLY - 2016-present
7. 97 - Whitney KNIGHT - 2011-12,13-16
8. 96 - DyTiesha DUNSON - 2012-16
9. 90 - Adrianne MCNALLY - 2007-10
10. 78 - Nasrin ULEL - 2016-present
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 534-120 (.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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