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zderadicka vs liberty 02-09-19
Brad Young
65
Winner FGCU FGCU 19-4, 10-0
64
LIBERTY LIBERTY 9-14, 5-5
Winner
FGCU FGCU
19-4, 10-0
65
Final
64
LIBERTY LIBERTY
9-14, 5-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
FGCU FGCU 12 17 27 9 65
LIBERTY LIBERTY 17 9 21 17 64

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Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Nicholas Huenefeld (@niklaustradamus)

Zderadicka's 15 Points, Late Steal Clinches @FGCU_WBB's 65-64 Road Win Over Liberty

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LYNCHBURG, Va. - Lisa Zderadicka corralled the game-clinching steal as time expired to give the FGCU women's basketball team (19-4, 10-0 ASUN) a 65-64 win over Liberty (9-14, 5-5) on the road in the Vines Center Saturday afternoon.

"Liberty played a great game," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "They made us pay for every defensive mistake. Kerstie Phills came up big off the bench for us."

With the win, the Green and Blue have now won 10 straight, which represents the 15th double-digit winning streak in program history, as well as just the eighth encompassing only regular season games.
 
Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg) starred for the Eagles with 15 points, a game-high eight steals, four rebounds and four assists. Her steal total is the most for an opponent in Vines Center history, and it ties Brittany Kennedy's (Jan. 4, 2012 vs Lipscomb) program record for the most in a conference game.

Additionally, Zderadicka eclipsed 1,000 points in her NCAA career, which started at Houston Baptist, with a late fourth-quarter layup that put her team up 63-60. She becomes the 13th player to wear the Green and Blue to achieve the honor.

Destiny Washington (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North HS) led FGCU in scoring with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Nasrin Ulel (11) and Kerstie Phills (10) also reached double figures.

The Eagles led by nine entering the fourth before Liberty trimmed its deficit to one with just under four minutes left. Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) answered with a 3-pointer, but Kierra Johnson-Graham produced a steal, a fast-break layup and a free throw to pull Liberty back within one with 1:49 left.

After three combined failed possessions for both teams, Liberty's Bridgett Rettstatt banked a jumper off the glass to give her team a one-point lead with 43 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, however, Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian HS) took a feed from Ulel and converted what turned out to be the game-winning bucket.

In the final seconds, Liberty's Ria Gulley missed a contested layup, but there was a tie up on the rebound, which resulted in another chance for the Flames. The ball wasn't inbounded cleanly and found its way to Zderadicka as time expired.

Earlier in the game, Liberty led by as many as seven in the opening seconds of the second quarter. Following that, Ulel and Keri Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) converted back-to-back layups to gain momentum, and Ulel followed with a 3-pointer that concluded a 7-0 run to tie the game at 19 apiece less than three minutes later. Chandler Ryan (Groveland, Ill./Morton HS) gave FGCU a 29-26 lead at the half on a 3-pointer with less than a minute left.

The game-tying 3-pointer from Ulel was FGCU's 2,000th all-time in ASUN play. They are now 2,006-for-5,663 (.354) since joining the conference in 2007-08.
 
2007-08 - 146-for-387 (.377)
2008-09 - 190-for-479 (.397)
2009-10 - 211-for-595 (.355)
2010-11 - 215-for-600 (.358)
2011-12 - 180-for-474 (.380)
2012-13 - 183-for-513 (.357)
2013-14 - 195-for-562 (.347)
2014-15 - 128-for-398 (.322)
2015-16 - 144-for-483 (.298)
2016-17 - 150-for-427 (.351)
2017-18 - 162-for-451 (.359)
2018-19 - 102-for-294 (.347)
TOTALS: 2,006-for-5,663 (.354)

The Eagles led by no fewer than four and as many as 11 on two occasions in the third frame to set up the final 10 minutes.

FGCU will return home on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. matchup against NJIT. Fans are encouraged to wear green and it's Superhero Night, where you can dress up like your favorite superhero for a chance to win prizes.
 
Longest Winning Streaks in Program History
34 games – 11/16/06 to 03/22/07
26 games – 12/06/14 to 03/21/15
21 games – 12/29/11 to 03/03/12
21 games – 12/28/12 to 03/08/13
21 games – 12/20/15 to 03/31/16
21 games – 12/21/02 to 02/15/03
17 games – 01/10/09 to 03/19/09
17 games – 12/29/05 to 03/10/06
14 games – 12/12/10 to 01/17/11
13 games – 03/01/05 to 12/20/05 (started in 04/05 regular season finale)
12 games – 12/20/16 to 02/02/17
12 games – 02/06/14 to 03/16/14
11 games – 02/03/18 to 03/17/18
10 games – 12/20/17 to 01/27/18
10 games – 01/05/19 to present
 
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
10 games – 01/05/19 to present
 
Notes

Liberty entered the game having won five of its past six.
 
FGCU entered the game ranked 12th nationally in scoring margin, 13th in turnover margin, 22nd in assist/turnover ratio, 21st in scoring offense, 23rd in win-loss percentage and 25th in assists.
 
The Eagles have held opponents to single-digit quarters 13 times in conference play, including a nine-point second quarter on Saturday.

With Saturday's win, the Green and Blue are now 5-0 all-time in the state of Virginia. The previous wins include:
 
Dec. 16, 2012 - W 63-56 @ Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
March 6, 2010 - W 51-38 vs Seattle in Farmville, Va.
March 7, 2010 - W 74-71 @ Longwood in Farmville, Va.
Dec. 19, 2012 - W 70-62 @ Richmond in Richmond, Va.
 
The double-digit performance from Phills off the bench was her second and just the fourth such overall for the Eagles in ASUN play. The other two were from Davion Wingate (17 vs North Florida on Jan. 12) and Ryan (15 vs North Florida on Jan. 27).

#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 515-118 (.814) overall in his career, including a 180-16 (.918) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven + seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 118-4 (.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.
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Players Mentioned

Keri Jewett-Giles

#3 Keri Jewett-Giles

G
5' 6"
Redshirt Junior
Kerstie Phills

#13 Kerstie Phills

G
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Chandler Ryan

#4 Chandler Ryan

G
5' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
Nasrin Ulel

#31 Nasrin Ulel

G/F
5' 9"
Junior
Davion Wingate

#0 Davion Wingate

G
5' 6"
Redshirt Junior
Lisa Zderadicka

#5 Lisa Zderadicka

G
5' 6"
Redshirt Senior
Destiny Washington

#22 Destiny Washington

G/F
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Keri Jewett-Giles

#3 Keri Jewett-Giles

5' 6"
Redshirt Junior
G
Kerstie Phills

#13 Kerstie Phills

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Chandler Ryan

#4 Chandler Ryan

5' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Nasrin Ulel

#31 Nasrin Ulel

5' 9"
Junior
G/F
Davion Wingate

#0 Davion Wingate

5' 6"
Redshirt Junior
G
Lisa Zderadicka

#5 Lisa Zderadicka

5' 6"
Redshirt Senior
G
Destiny Washington

#22 Destiny Washington

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
G/F