FORT MYERS, Fla. - Keri Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla.) led all scorers with 22 points as the No. 28 FGCU women's basketball team (20-2, 7-0) defeated NJIT (3-16, 0-6) on Saturday inside Alico Arena. The Eagles have won nine straight overall and pushed the nation's third-longest conference winning streak to 35 straight.
 
"I was really pleased with our defensive intensity in the first quarter," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "We definitely picked it up a notch and made a lot of defensive plays. We didn't give up very many good looks at the basket. We're trying to increase how long we're able to keep that type of intensity going, but that was a step in the right direction."
 
The Eagles not only forced a season-high in turnovers against a Division I opponent this year with 27, but they held an ASUN opponent under 40 points for the 20th time since joining the conference in 2007-08. Three of the past four such performances have come against NJIT. Furthermore, the team's three points allowed in the first quarter is tied for the fifth-fewest allowed in any quarter in program history, and it was the second fewest given up in an opening quarter.
 
With the victory, FGCU clinched its 16th-straight season with at least 20 victories. Now, they'll look to extend their streak of seasons with at least 25 victories to 10 straight.
 
Jewett-Giles finished with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting while adding four rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was her eighth 20-point effort of the season and the 15th of her career. She now has 1,277 points in her NCAA career, which moves her past Kelsey Jacobson (1,263, 2008-12) for sixth-most by a player to wear the Green and Blue.
 
Davion Wingate (Atlanta, Ga.) added 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting off the bench. Similar to Jewett-Giles, she also moved up the NCAA scoring list among players to wear the Green and Blue, reaching 1,241 and surpassing Taylor Gradinjan (1,234, 2012-18) for eighth-place.
 
Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C.) and Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added nine and eight points, respectively. For List, it was the most points she has scored in an FGCU uniform. Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla.) tied List for the team-high in rebounds with five and added four steals. She also made her 112th career start, breaking a tie for third-most in program history with Courtney Chihil (111, 2008-12).
 
After the first 10 minutes in which FGCU outscored NJIT 18-3, the Green and Blue took a 20-point lead for the first time following a three-point play from Wingate with 50 seconds left in the half. A 51-24 game through three, the two teams combined for 46 points in the final frame.
 
That late scoring surge allowed 12 players to reach the scoring column, and the Green and Blue finished 11-for-36 from 3-point range, which was the team's 14th game with double-digit makes this year.
 
FGCU produced a new-look starting lineup as Ashli O'Neal (Wyoming, Ohio) and Tyra Cox (Orlando, Fla.) made their first starts of the season. O'Neal scored five points and contributed a pair of steals as the Eagles improved to 10-1 in Alico Arena this year, improving their all-time record at home to 276-20 since 2002-03.
 
The Eagles will now have a week to prepare for a tough road matchup against Liberty next Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
ASUN Standings

Pl.	Team	Overall	ASUN
­­1.	FGCU	20-2	7-0
2.	North Alabama	14-4	5-1
3.	Liberty	11-8	4-2
	North Florida	11-8	4-2
5.	Jacksonville	11-8	3-3
6.	Kennesaw State	8-9	2-4
7.	Lipscomb	5-15	2-5
8.	Stetson	7-12	1-5
9.	NJIT	3-16	0-6

 
ASUN results, upcoming schedule
Saturday, Jan. 25
Liberty 57, Stetson 48
Jacksonville 93, Kennesaw State 83
North Florida 68, Lipscomb 60
FGCU 82, NJIT 39
Monday, Jan. 27
Liberty at North Florida, 11 a.m.
North Alabama at Kennesaw State, 7 p.m.
NJIT at Stetson, 7 p.m.
Jacksonville at Lipscomb, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1
North Alabama at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Kennesaw State at North Florida, 1 p.m.
FGCU at Liberty, 2 p.m.
Stetson at Lipscomb, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 3
FGCU at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
Kennesaw State at Liberty, 7 p.m.
North Alabama at NJIT, 7 p.m.
Stetson at North Florida, 7 p.m.
*All Times Eastern

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.


 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 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 544­-121 (.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 193-16 (.923) mark in ASUN play. Over the past eight+ seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 129-4 (.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--