PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Davion Wingate registered a career-high 31 points to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (12-2) to a 93-67 win over Temple (6-6) on the road Sunday afternoon.
 
Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) finished 10-for-15 from the field while making 6-for-8 from long distance and all five of her foul shots.  In topping her previous career-high of 29 from earlier this year against UCF, she joined Keri Jewett-Giles as the first set of teammates in program history to record 30-point performances in back-to-back games.

"We played a very good first half," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "We moved the ball well and passed it to open teammates who were ready to shoot. Offensively, Keri and Davion were outstanding, and I am also happy with the contributions of Emma and Erna off the bench. Defensively, Nasrin, Ty and Kerstie set the tone."

In fact, several others had great days offensively as FGCU finished 32-for-75 (.427) from the field, including 19-for-47 (.404) from 3-point range, which tied the team's season-high for most makes in a game. Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) had 20 points, a season-high nine assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Nasrin Ulel (16) and Kerstie Phills (11) also reached double-figures in points.
 
Tytionia Adderly had maybe the most complete all-around performance with six points, nine rebounds, six steals and two assists. Erna Normil had three points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in a season-high 21 minutes off the bench as the Eagles lineup was without the services of Ashli O'Neal, Tyra Cox, Chandler Ryan and Alyssa Blair.
 
As a team, FGCU only had four turnovers while forcing 15 on the other end, which turned into 21 points for the Eagles.
 
The Green and Blue got off to a bit of a slow start offensively by scoring just five points over the first four minutes. Wingate, though, made her first of six 3-pointers with 5:24 left in to give FGCU a lead they wouldn't relinquish as they finished 6-for-15 from long distance in the first 10 minutes alone and opened up a 26-14 lead behind an 8-2 run to finish the quarter.
 
Following that, Wingate scored five points during a 13-2 run to open the second quarter. Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus HS) capped the run with a pull-up 3-pointer to give FGCU a 39-19 lead with 5:24 left in the half.
 
After Temple ended that run, Erna Normil (Lake Worth, Fla./Lake Worth HS) capped a 9-2 run as the Eagles eventually led by 23 at the break.
 
Over the first five minutes of the second half, Temple was able to trim its deficit by six to 17, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Jewett-Giles calmed things down. In fact, Jewett-Giles finished the third quarter with a layup in the final seconds to give the Eagles a 22-point advantage.
 
A 13-2 run to open the fourth, capped by a 3-pointer from Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS), signaled the end for most of FGCU's starters. Wingate made all three free throws with 5:32 left after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt to eclipse the 30-point plateau and exited following the final make as the Eagles slowed every possession following that.
 
FGCU will be back in action against Duke (7-4) on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. inside Alico Arena.
 
Notes
With her nine rebounds, Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) pushed her career total to 982, which is 18 shy of allowing her to become just the 12th player in ASUN history to reach the 1,000 milestone - including the first such player in FGCU history. She is also now 14 defensive rebounds shy of surpassing Whitney Knight (621, 2011-16) for the most in program history.
 
With her 20 points, Jewett-Giles (1,146) passed Stephanie Haas (1,138, 2012-16) for the ninth-most NCAA points scored by a player to wear the Green and Blue. Wingate, meanwhile, now has 1,113 and passed China Dow (1,093, 2013-18) for 11th place on the same list.
 
FGCU is now 4-0 against American Athletic Conference (AAC) teams this year with wins over USF, UCF, Houston and now Temple - all of which were picked to finish among the top six in the AAC preseason poll.
 
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 536-121 (.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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--