FORT MYERS, Fla. - Despite a career-high 35 points from Keri Jewett-Giles, the FGCU women's basketball team (11-2) saw an eight-game winning streak snapped in a 74-63 loss to LSU (9-2) in Alico Arena on Thursday night.
 
The Eagles, who had also won 16 straight games in Alico Arena, saw a three-game winning streak against the SEC snapped. They are now 10-4 all-time against Power 5 schools in Alico Arena.
 
"Keri was outstanding," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She hit her threes and got to the rim. She's the one who really got the energy going for us. I think we had some other kids who played hard, but maybe didn't play as well as we would hope. We'll get back at it. There's going to be a lot to learn from this game from our execution down the stretch. They had a player who went off, too. We'll have to go over how we defend certain situations so we can get a little better defensively, as well."
 
Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) finished 12-for-20 from the field, including a 5-for-7 performance from 3-point range while surpassing her previous career-high of 28 set last year on the road at Jacksonville. She added five assists, four rebounds and two steals while producing the most points an ASUN player has had in any game this year.
 
Furthermore, the senior guard fell just one point shy of matching Rosemarie Julien's Divison I era single-game scoring record of 36 set in 2016-17. In fact, if you include FGCU's Division II and NAIA eras, she became only the fifth player to don the Green and Blue while producing at least 35 points in a game, joining Andrea Clarke (38), Jen Conely (36), Julien and Trish Fleming (35).
 
Jewett-Giles scored over half of her team's 63 points, including a 17-point outburst in the third quarter. Davion Wingate and Ashli O'Neal each finished second on the team in scoring with eight apiece, while Tytionia Adderly tacked on a team-high 10 rebounds along with four assists and three steals.
 
The Eagles took a 13-0 lead over a stretch that spanned nearly six minutes to open the game as Jewett-Giles scored eight of FGCU's first 10 points. LSU, however, went 7-for-9 from the field over the next four minutes and scored 25 of the game's next 28 points, including 17 straight following the initial run by FGCU.
 
LSU led FGCU by seven at halftime, which set up a wild third quarter that featured 43 combined points. In that frame, Jewett-Giles had 17 of her team's 23 points and fell just three shy of matching LSU's entire scoring total in the quarter by herself. She shot 6-for-7 from the field and drew four fouls to help her team cut the deficit to four.
 
After the visiting Tigers stretched their lead to eight in the opening minute of the fourth, O'Neal (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming HS) responded for FGCU with a layup, while the graduate transfer also drew four charges in the game. Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) then scored five straight, and Nasrin Ulel's layup pulled the Eagles within one with 6:48 left.
 
LSU's Faustine Aifuwa stemmed the run with a basket, but FGCU went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket down low from Jewett-Giles, who then swiped a pass and dished it to Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian HS) for a layup that gave the Eagles a 60-57 lead with 4:17 left.
 
Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) then drew a charge and FGCU had a chance to extend the lead, but a missed 3-pointer, followed by three straight turnovers allowed LSU to score the next 13 points en route to finishing the game on a 17-3 run as the final eight came from the foul line.
 
Outside of Jewett-Giles, the Eagles finished 11-for-43 from the field and 5-for-23 from 3-point range as a team. Four of FGCU's 10 turnovers came in the decisive final four minutes.
 
Up Next
FGCU will be back in action on Sunday at Temple in a noon matchup. The next home tilt will be against Duke on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m.
 
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 534-121 (.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--