MIAMI - The FGCU women's basketball team (6-2) pulled away from Florida International (3-2) in the fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Arena to produce its fifth-straight win, 86-68.
 
With the victory, the Eagles are now 499-97 all-time dating back to the program's inception in 2002-03 and will attempt to win the 500th game in program history on Monday at 12 p.m. against FIU to complete the doubleheader.

"Dot, TK, Aaliyah and Tyra all had really good offensive games, and Seneca gave us some really good minutes off the bench," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "And we shot the ball really well. Hopefully we can correct some things and play better tomorrow."
 
Kierstan Bell led FGCU with a game-high 21 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six blocks, while four others also scored in double-figures, including a career-high 16 points from Tyra Cox, who has now notched a new career-high in two consecutive games. Aaliyah Stanley (14), Tishara Morehouse (13) and Andrea Cecil (13) were the others, while Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Western Nebraska CC) recorded career-highs in rebounds (8) and assists (8) as she flirted with a triple-double.
 
Alyssa Blair (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie HS) also contributed to the win with five points and two rebounds, while Seneca Hackley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Saint Mary's) recorded four points and a steal in 15 minutes off the bench. Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State) notched her fourth 20-point effort of the season, as well as the fifth of her career. It was also her fourth double-double of the season.
 
Cecil's (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor HS/BGSU) scoring total matched her season-high and was her fourth game in double-figures this year. She also now has 957 NCAA career points as she continues her journey toward 1,000. Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy/Eastern Michigan), meanwhile, established a new season-high for points and made a game-high three from long distance while also producing her fourth game in double-digits this year.
 
As a team, FGCU finished 11-for-25 from 3-point range, which gives them seven games with 10-plus this year, including six in a row. They are now 25-for-51 (.490) from 3-point range on the road this year. The Eagles also finished a season-best .564 (31-for-55) from the field overall and made 13-of-15 from the foul line.

The Green and Blue trailed 8-4 early before producing a 10-0 run that featured five points from Cecil off the bench. FIU, however, responded to take a 16-14 lead through one. FGCU started to take control in the second quarter with an 8-0 run that gave them a 14-point lead, and they led 42-30 at the half on back-to-back layups from Cox.
 
The host Panthers exploded for 24 points in the third quarter and pulled within as few as six, but a driving layup from Hackley gave FGCU a 62-54 lead entering the fourth, and the Eagles then scored 15 of the first 17 points in the final quarter to seize control for good as they led by as many as 22 on two occasions.
 
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.
 
SUSTAINING FLIGHT 
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser and Auction. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes.For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight. 
 
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 maintains a record of 560-124 (.819) overall in his career (third highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and Baylor's Kim Mulkey), including a 201-17 (.922) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 24-2 (.923) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past nine seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 137-5 (.975) record in conference play with five undefeated seasons. The 10-time ASUN Coach of the Year has guided the Green and Blue to four 30-plus win seasons over the past six years while compiling a 179-31 (.852) record. He has also guided the program to 16 consecutive 20-win seasons and 10-straight 25-win seasons.
 
#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 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. 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--