FORT MYERS, Fla. - Keri Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla.) produced her second-straight 20-point effort to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (19-2, 6-0) to an 80-63 win over Kennesaw State (8-8, 2-3) inside Alico Arena on Monday.
 
With the win, the Eagles became the first team nationally to reach 19 wins, stretched its overall winning streak to eight and have won 34 consecutive games against ASUN competition. They are now 26-2 all-time against Kennesaw State with wins in 20 straight. FGCU will be back in action Saturday at home against NJIT.
 
"We got off to a good start," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "When we were moving the ball and sharing it, we were getting really good shots and everyone was contributing on the offensive end. I thought our defense in the first quarter and a half was really good. We were helping one another and playing with a lot of intensity. The second half, I give Kennesaw credit. They kept fighting, and I didn't feel like we responded quite as well, but it was a good win, and I was happy to see Ashli get her 1,000th point."
 
On the same night her teammate Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla.) was honored prior to the game for becoming the first player in program history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, Ashli O'Neal (Wyoming, Ohio) became the 18th player to reach 1,000 points while wearing the Green and Blue with a left-handed layup just minutes into the second quarter. She finished with eight points and four assists as the Eagles are now the only team in the nation with four 1,000-point guards. FGCU also joined Oregon as one of only two teams nationally with four at any position.
 
Jewett-Giles, meanwhile, recorded a team-high 20 points, a game-high seven assists, a team-high three steals and three rebounds while producing her third 20-point effort over six conference games this year. Davion Wingate (Atlanta, Ga.) added 14 points, four assists and two rebounds on 6-for-8 shooting over 22 minutes, while Nasrin Ulel (Murrieta, Calif.) chipped in 11 points and two steals on 3-for-6 shooting from long distance.
 
Two others also tallied nine points apiece as Adderly registered nine points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C.) had nine points, seven rebounds and two steals. For Adderly, it was the fifth time this year she fell just short of double-digits with nine rebounds.
 
After shooting just 13-for-46 from long distance as a team over the past two games combined, nine different Eagles registered a make as the team finished 13-for-29 for a season-best .448 percentage from 3-point range. It was FGCU's 13th game this year with at least 10 makes.
 
The Eagles scored the game's first nine points via four different players and jumped out to a 20-4 lead through seven minutes following back-to-back baskets from Wingate. A layup from Jewett-Giles stretched the margin to 20 with 7:56 left in the half, and a 3-pointer from Wingate gave the Green and Blue its largest lead of the half, 24, with 1:33 left.
 
Kennesaw State closed the game by scoring 23 of the final 32 points after O'Neal's 3-pointer with 8:02 left gave FGCU its largest lead, 71-40.
 
Notes
Earlier in the day, FGCU was once again seeded eighth in the latest version of Bracketology by Charlie Crème, projected to open the NCAA Tournament against No. 9 Oklahoma with a potential second round matchup against No. 1 Louisville.
 
Jewett-Giles surpassed China Dow (749, 2016-18) for the third-most points by a two-year transfer in program history. She has 755, trailing only Rosemarie Julien (862, 2016-18) and Chelsea Lyles (839, 2008-10). Meanwhile, Wingate moved up to fifth on the same list, pushing her total to 593.
 
The 20-point effort from Jewett-Giles was her seventh such performance of the season, including the 14th of her career. It was also her 60th career double-digit scoring game, joining Wingate in the exclusive club. Ulel is also one shy of joining them after tallying her 59th on Monday.
 
FGCU is now 275-20 all-time in Alico Arena, including 102-2 in ASUN regular season games.
 
Adderly tied Courtney Chihil (111, 2008-12) for the third-most starts in program history, and she also surpassed Chihil for sole possession of 10th place on the program's games played list with 121.
 
Ulel, who made three 3-point field goals against Kennesaw State, became the fifth player in the program's Division I era with 200 made 3-point field goals, joining Kelsey Jacobson (330), Taylor Gradinjan (299), Whitney Knight (294) and Shannon Murphy (219). She now has 202 over 600 attempts, while also surpassing Gradinjan (424, 2012-18) on the era's career field goals made list, pushing that total to 425. On top of all that, she jumped Adrianne McNally (1,181, 2007-10) and Shannon Murphy (1,185, 2007-11) for the sixth-most career points in the Green and Blue.

Updated ASUN Standings
 

Pl.	Team	Overall	ASUN
­­1.	FGCU	19-2	6-0
2.	North Alabama	14-4	5-1
3.	Liberty	10-8	3-2
	North Florida	10-8	3-2
5.	Jacksonville	10-8	2-3
	Kennesaw State	8-8	2-3
7.	Lipscomb	5-14	2-4
8.	Stetson	7-11	1-4
9.	NJIT	3-15	0-5

 
Monday's ASUN Results
Monday, Jan. 20
Lipscomb 65, NJIT 57
FGCU 80, Kennesaw State 63
North Florida 70, Jacksonville 64
North Alabama 68, Stetson 57
*All Times Eastern


 
FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of the women's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_WBB, on Facebook at /FGCUWBB and online at www.FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU women's basketball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
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.
 
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!

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, he has also guided the Eagles to 15-straight 20-win seasons.
 
Smesko maintains a record of 543-121 (.818) 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 192-16 (.923) mark in ASUN play. Over the past eight+ seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 128-4 (.970) 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--