NEWARK, N.J. - The duo of
Keri Jewett-Giles and
Kerstie Phills led a balanced offensive attack as the No. 22 FGCU women's basketball team (27-2, 14-0) defeated NJIT 68-39 on the road in the Wellness and Events Center on Saturday for the program's 200th all-time regular season conference win.
"We had a lot of people contribute, which was nice," FGCU head coach
Karl Smesko said. "We got off to a good start and opened up a nice lead in the first quarter, which is how we want to come out and start the game. I thought a real bright spot today was
Kerstie Phills, who got a number of steals and rebounded the ball. She was excellent."
Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS) led all players in scoring with 16 points while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. She tied
Anja Marinkovic for the game-high in made 3-point field goals (4), as well.
Marinkovic (Sombor, Serbia/Northern Secondary) went 4-for-6 from long distance for 12 points to finish second on the team in scoring amidst a season-high 18 minutes off the bench.
Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian HS) chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals.
The victory represented FGCU's 200th all-time ASUN regular season victory in just its 216th game. They have won 16 straight overall as well as 42 in a row against conference competition, and they are 14-0 all-time against NJIT. The Eagles, who have already clinched this year's regular season title and the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament, will conclude the regular season at home with games against North Alabama on Saturday and Jacksonville on Monday.
| FGCU vs the ASUN |
| Regular Season Play |
| Year |
Record |
Running Tally |
Since Full D-I Program |
| 2007-08 |
13-3 |
13-3 |
x |
| 2008-09 |
17-3 |
30-6 |
x |
| 2009-10 |
17-3 |
47-9 |
x |
| 2010-11 |
17-3 |
64-12 |
x |
| 2011-12 |
18-0 |
82-12 |
18-0 |
| 2012-13 |
18-0 |
100-12 |
36-0 |
| 2013-14 |
17-1 |
117-13 |
53-1 |
| 2014-15 |
14-0 |
131-13 |
67-1 |
| 2015-16 |
14-0 |
145-13 |
81-1 |
| 2016-17 |
12-2 |
157-15 |
93-3 |
| 2017-18 |
13-1 |
170-16 |
106-4 |
| 2018-19 |
16-0 |
186-16 |
122-4 |
| 2019-20 |
14-0 |
200-16 |
136-4 |
FGCU finished 18-for-51 from 3-point range, which was just one short of their season-high for makes as the Eagles produced 10 players with at least one make from long distance.
Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS), who battled foul trouble against the Highlanders, had five rebounds to move into a tie for third place in ASUN history for career rebounds. The senior forward also passed Sarah Hansen (508, 2010-14) for the program's most career rebounds in ASUN play.
| Total Career Rebounds - ASUN History |
| Place |
Name |
School |
Years |
Total |
| 1. |
Phylette Blake |
Ga. Southern |
1985-89 |
1,242 |
| 2. |
Andrea Congreaves |
Mercer |
1989-93 |
1,141 |
| 3. |
Deneka Knowles |
S'eastern LA |
1993-96 |
1,127 |
|
Tytionia Adderly |
FGCU |
2016-present |
1,127 |
| 5. |
Brittany Starling |
USC Upstate |
2012-16 |
1,119 |
For the second time this season, the fifth time against NJIT and the 21st time in program history, the Green and Blue held a conference opponent under 40 points.
With her 16-point performance, Jewett-Giles not only eclipsed 1,400 career points, but she moved within six points of becoming just the fourth player in the program's Division I era to produce a 500-point single-season, joining Kaneisha Atwater (569, 2015-16), Sarah Hansen (555, 2012-13) and Whitney Knight (504, 2014-15). She is also on pace to break the program's single-season scoring average record, and she eclipsed 900 points in her FGCU career alone, where she now sits at 903.
The Eagles have now made 350 3-pointers this season, which not only leads the nation, but allows them to become the 17th team in NCAA Division I history to reach that benchmark, which includes the fourth such instance from FGCU alone.
ASUN Standings
| Pl. |
Team |
Overall |
ASUN |
| 1. |
FGCU |
27-2 |
14-0 |
| 2. |
North Alabama |
17-8 |
8-5 |
| 3. |
Jacksonville |
15-10 |
7-5 |
|
Liberty |
14-11 |
7-5 |
| 5. |
North Florida |
14-13 |
7-7 |
| 6. |
Kennesaw State |
12-12 |
5-7 |
| 7. |
Stetson |
11-14 |
5-7 |
| 8. |
Lipscomb |
7-20 |
4-10 |
| 9. |
NJIT |
4-22 |
1-12 |
ASUN Schedule/Results
Saturday
Jacksonville 88, Kennesaw State 81 (OT)
FGCU 68, NJIT 39
Lipscomb 73, North Florida 66
Liberty 73, Stetson 53
Monday
Lipscomb at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
North Florida at Liberty, 7 p.m.
Stetson at NJIT, 7 p.m.
Kennesaw State at North Alabama, 7 p.m.
For complete coverage of the women's basketball program, follow the Eagles on
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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 550-121 (.820) 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 199-16 (.926) mark in ASUN play. Over the past eight+ seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 135-4 (.971) 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 81 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus 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 women's basketball (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 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty-one consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall semester 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.
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