FORT MYERS, Fla. - Nasrin Ulel poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (17-4, 8-0 ASUN) to an 82-58 win over Jacksonville (11-11, 4-5) in Alico Arena on Saturday. It was the team's eighth-straight win, which is a new season-high, and the Eagles stretched the program's regular season conference winning streak to 15.

The Green and Blue will now clash with second-place North Alabama (16-2, 7-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Alico Arena.

"This was a very tough game, a very physical game," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "I thought Jacksonville played very well. They really crashed the offensive boards and challenged us really well, and I thought we responded well. Nas had an outstanding game. Our guards played very well - Keri and Lisa. And then, Des with the double-double. She came up big for us on both ends of the court."

Ulel's 26 points was two shy of matching her season and career-high. She finished 11-for-18 from the field in 38 minutes while adding two rebounds and two steals. Her point total is tied for seventh-most against an ASUN opponent in program history, and her field goal total is tied for third-most against a conference team - just two shy of Kaneisha Atwater's 13 against Kennesaw State on Jan. 24, 2015.

Furthermore, Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) surpassed China Dow (749, 2016-18) on the program's career scoring list and is just 36 points from becoming the 13th player to reach 800 career points in the Green and Blue's Division-I era.

Outside of Ulel, a trio of others scored in double figures including Keri Jewett-Giles (16 points, five steals, three assists), Lisa Zderadicka (13 points, six assists, five rebounds) and Destiny Washington (10 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks). Tytionia Adderly added eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. Those five players have now started every conference game and are producing 72.9 percent of the Green and Blue's points in ASUN play.
 
The Eagles scored 15 of the game's first 18 points, but Jacksonville's Jasmyn Brown drained a trio of 3-point field goals over the first quarter's final 2:31, including one on a five-point possession with just over a minute left, to pull her team within three.

Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneburg) responded by scoring four points in a 10-2 run that pushed FGCU's lead to 11 with 6:04 left in the half. A few minutes later, Chandler Ryan's (Groveland, Ill./Morton HS) 3-pointer pushed the margin to 15, although Brown's jumper in the final minute trimmed her team's deficit to just eight at the break.

Ulel scored eight of her 26 points in the third quarter as the Eagles went 8-for-14 from the field to take a 60-46 lead. Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) and Zderadicka also combined for 11 in the frame as FGCU pushed its lead to as many as 17 in the final minute.

Then, with Jacksonville down 14 after a Mariah Batz jumper with 5:53 left in the game, Ulel dashed any hopes of a comeback by scoring six straight points to spur a 10-0 run over the next four minutes.
 
As a team, FGCU finished 31-for-53 (58.5 percent), which was the team's highest shooting percentage against a Division-I team this year. They also shot 13-for-15 from the foul line, which was their second-best percentage (.867) of the year. On the other end, Jacksonville produced 19 offensive rebounds - a season-high for an opponent against the Eagles - which led to a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points. Conversely, the Green and Blue held advantages in points down low (44-28), points off turnovers (21-12) and fast break points (17-2).
 
Jacksonville's Trudy Walker, who entered the game averaging 10.4 points and a conference-best 10.1 rebounds, was held in check by the FGCU defense. The senior forward recorded just four points and one rebound in 13 minutes.

FGCU is now 24-3 all-time against Jacksonville, including a 15-1 record in Alico Arena and victories in five straight.
 
ASUN Notes
FGCU is 178-16 overall, including a 116-4 (.967) record since 2011-12 in ASUN regular season games. They're 94-2 (.979) at Alico Arena in similar games, including 88-1 since Jan. 22, 2009. Furthermore, they're 113-10 against current ASUN teams.

Ulel's 26-point effort on Saturday gives her 123 in ASUN play this year, which is three more than she had all of last year over 14 games. Her 15.4 PPG in conference play is on pace to be the second-best single-season in program history behind Sarah Hansen's 2012-13 campaign, where she averaged 16.4 points over 18 conference games.

Adderly's (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) eight rebounds pushes her career total in ASUN play to 306, which is fourth-best in program history. Next up on the list is Whitney Knight (355, 2011-16).
 
Updated Standings
1. FGCU - 17-4, 8-0
2. North Alabama - 16-2, 7-1
3. Stetson - 11-11, 6-2
4. Liberty - 9-12, 5-3
5. Jacksonville - 11-11, 4-5
6. North Florida - 8-11, 3-5
7. NJIT - 5-16, 2-6
8. Kennesaw State - 5-15, 1-6
9. Lipscomb - 2-19, 0-8

Saturday's ASUN Results
Stetson 76, Kennesaw State 69
Liberty 58, NJIT 47
North Alabama 81, Lipscomb 60
FGCU 82, Jacksonville 58

Record Book Notes
With her game-high six assists against Jacksonville, Zderadicka pushed her career total in the Green and Blue to 182, which surpasses Taylor Gradinjan (177, 2012-18) and moves her into a tie with Stephanie Haas (2012-16) for 15th-place on the career list.

Washington (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North HS) tied Adderly for the team-high in blocks with two. In doing so, she is now tied with Noreen McCallum (2002-04) for seventh-most in program history for a career with 27 - despite playing just this one season at FGCU. Her total is also the eighth-most in a single-season, just one behind Sarah Hansen's 28 in 2012-13.

Offensively, following her 10-point effort, Washington needs just 57 points to join the 1,000 point, 600 rebound, 100 block, 100 steal, 100 assist club for her NCAA career. Her 15 3-point field goals this year is four more than she had her entire career entering this season.

Adderly (727) is just nine rebounds short of surpassing Whitney Knight (735, 2011-16) for second most rebounds in program history. Sarah Hansen (887, 2010-14) holds the record.

1,000 Point Watch
A total of five Eagles have eclipsed 700 career points and are on pace to reach 1,000 points in their NCAA careers either this year or next. Two of those five, Zderadicka (984) and Washington (943), are less than 100 away, while Jewett-Giles (778), Davion Wingate (777) and Ulel (764) round out the group.
 
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 513-118 (.813) overall in his career, including a 178-16 (.919) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven + seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 116-4 (.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.