FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU women's basketball team (20-4, 11-0 ASUN) overcame the absence of two starters and a 3-for-33 performance from 3-point range to produce a 61-42 win over NJIT (5-18, 2-8) in Alico Arena on Tuesday and push its winning streak to 11.
"We were short-handed, and you could tell especially early, but that's part of it, whether it's injuries or other things, " FGCU head coach
Karl Smesko said. "Sometimes other people have to step up and contribute. I thought Nas in particular, and Lisa had outstanding games. They raised their level of play. Ty had a good second half where she really attacked the boards. I thought Davion made some nice plays and made some good drives off the bench."
With the victory, FGCU clinched at least a home quarterfinal game in this year's ASUN Championship. Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. this Friday to reserve their same seats for all potential rounds of the tournament. Quarterfinal tickets will then go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21.
Lisa Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg), who was honored prior to the game for reaching 1,000 career NCAA points this past weekend, led all scorers with a season-high 19 points. In fact, it was the most points she's scored in a game in nearly two seasons with the Green and Blue, and she finished 7-for-15 from the field while adding a game-high four steals, three rebounds, two assists and a block.
Nasrin Ulel chipped in 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal on 7-for-13 shooting. She became the 16th player in program history to record at least 800 career points and now sits at 812 through 86 contests. Furthermore,
Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) is now just 51 points away from surpassing
Rosemarie Julien (862, 2016-18) and moving into the top 10 on the program's Division-I era career scoring list.
Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) battled foul trouble, but tied a season-high in rebounds with 16 while chipping in six points. Her carom total is tied for fifth-most in a game in Alico Arena history. In fact, it was the fourth time she's recorded at least that many at home.
Early on, the Green and Blue struggled, shooting 0-for-7 from 3-point range and falling behind 13-12 through the first 10 minutes. In the second quarter, FGCU held NJIT to a 3-for-14 finish and just nine points, which was the 14th time in ASUN play that the Eagles have held an opponent to single digits.
The second half featured just 20 points allowed by FGCU's defense. Offensively, five different players scored in the third quarter.
Davion Wingate (5) and
Kerstie Phills (4) then combined for nine points in the final frame to put the game away.
ASUN Standings
1. FGCU - 20-4, 11-0
2. North Alabama - 17-3, 8-2
2. Stetson - 13-11, 8-2
4. Liberty - 10-14, 6-5
5. North Florida - 10-12, 5-6
6. Jacksonville - 12-13, 5-7
7. Kennesaw State - 6-17, 2-8
8. NJIT - 5-18, 2-8
9. Lipscomb - 3-21, 1-10
Notes
The victory clinched FGCU's 15th-straight season with at least 20 wins, and the Eagles are now just five away from its ninth-straight 25-win season.
Entering Tuesday, FGCU's winning streak was tied for the ninth-longest in the nation. If they defeat Stetson on the road Saturday, they would move into sole possession of the seventh-longest regular season winning streak in program history.
Regular Season Winning Streaks
45 games – 12/29/05 to 03/03/07
23 games – 12/06/14 to 11/13/15
22 games – 12/28/12 to 11/20/13
20 games – 12/29/11 to 11/14/12
19 games – 12/20/15 to 02/27/16
17 games – 01/10/09 to 11/13/09
11 games – 02/06/14 to 11/18/14
11 games - 01/05/19 to present
FGCU, which entered Tuesday as one of just 14 teams across the nation with an undefeated conference record, has pushed its ASUN regular season winning streak to 18 straight and 24 of the past 25.
The Eagles, who are the nation's No. 3 ranked team in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, are now 11-0 all-time against NJIT dating back to March 6, 2008.
After Tuesday's win, FGCU is 181-16 all-time in regular season conference games, including a 119-4 record against ASUN teams since 2011-12. They own a dominant 97-2 (.980) record at home in the regular season against the ASUN and have won 88 of the past 89 conference home games dating back to Jan. 10, 2009.
Purdue men's basketball coaching legend Gene Keady was in attendance for the game and chatted with Coach Smesko postgame.
Next Up
FGCU will hit the road to battle Stetson on Saturday at 1 p.m. in DeLand, Fla. before traveling to Lipscomb on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tilt. The team returns home Saturday, Feb. 23 for a 4 p.m. game against Kennesaw State, which will be senior day.
#PLAY4KAY PLEDGE WITH COACH SMESKO
Join Coach Smesko and pledge to help FGCU support the #Play4Kay Foundation! You can make a difference by pledging to make a donation for every made Green and Blue free throw in February, and 100 percent of the funds go to the #Play4Kay Foundation. Visit here to donate today!
ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
The FGCU ticket office is accepting reservations for potential ASUN Championship games hosted in Alico Arena, and season ticket holders have the first right of refusal for tournament tickets in the same location as their seats during the regular season.
If you're a season ticket holder and interested in reserving your current seat, upgrading your current seat or requesting additional seats, fill out and return the form here. You must return the form by Feb. 15 to guarantee the same seat location and notifications for possible upgrades or additional seats will be made Feb. 18-20. On Feb. 21, potential home quarterfinal tickets will go on sale to the general public.
For more information, contact the FGCU Ticket office by phone at 239-590-7145 or by email at tickets@fgcu.edu.
WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT
Experience FGCU basketball this season. The following ticket opportunities are on sale now:
Group Sales
Bring your group of 20 or more to an FGCU men's or women's basketball game. All group tickets include an FGCU hat ($15 value), a $5 game day discount at The Boardwalk restaurant, in-game group recognition and more. For more information on group outings, click HERE or call 239-590-7145.
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets are available for all remaining home games. Discounts are available for current or former Military and Youth ages 3-15. Purchase online HERE or call 239-590-7145.
COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko led the 2017-18 Eagles to another historic season. The Green and Blue finished 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play, capturing the program's eighth ASUN regular season championship and fifth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season ranked 25th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, recaptured the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals made in a season with 431 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, where the Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded and No. 15 ranked Missouri in the opening round. It was the team's second tournament win over the past three appearances. Over the course of the season, FGCU knocked off three ranked teams - No. 15 Missouri, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 DePaul.
Over the past four seasons, Smesko has guided FGCU to three 30 plus win seasons while recording a 121-23 (.840) record overall. The now eight-time ASUN Coach of the Year rallied the 2016-17 team to its seventh straight 25-win campaign, culminating in an ASUN tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2015-16, he was named the espnW mid-major coach of the year following a run that witnessed the Eagles claim a WNIT runner-up finish and a Division-I program best ever 33-6 record. In 2014-15, the team achieved its first-ever top-25 ranking and made another trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Eagles earned a No. 7 seed and won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, toppling No. 10 seed Oklahoma State.
Including the 2017-18 campaign, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 14-straight 20-win seasons and eight-straight 25-win seasons. He maintains a record of 516-118 (.814) overall in his career, including a 181-16 (.919) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven + seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 119-4 (.967) record in conference play with four undefeated seasons. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. Entering 2018-19, he ranked among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher, joining Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group. Over the past year, first-year NCAA Division-I head coaches Nancy Fahey (Illinois) and Bart Brooks (Belmont) pushed the list to six.
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 CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year 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 contribute, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.
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.
