FORT MYERS, Fla. - Davion Wingate poured in a single-game program record 38 points, while Ashli O'Neal had a season-high 21 points as the No. 24 FGCU women's basketball team (29-3) routed Lipscomb (7-23) 105-71 in an ASUN quarterfinal matchup inside Alico Arena on Saturday night in front of 1,710 fans.
 
With the win, the top-seeded Eagles advance to host Wednesday's semifinal against fifth-seeded North Florida, who knocked off Jacksonville in overtime on Saturday. No. 2 North Alabama will host No. 3 Liberty in the other semifinal, while the Green and Blue are now 23-2 all-time in the ASUN tournament.
 
"Obviously, the first quarter, we came out with good energy. We shared the ball, took good shots and shot an exceptional percentage," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Davion really got us going. She was aggressive and finding good opportunities from the start. And then Ashli, in that first half, came off the bench and immediately started knocking down shots and doing good things for us. It's a great start to the tournament. I like the way we came out. Now we're going to going to have to prepare for a really good team and compete again."
 
Wingate (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson HS) finished 13-for-16 from the field, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range while adding five rebounds, three assists and one steal. It was her third 30-point outing of the season, and her 38 points eclipsed the program's previous Division I era single-game scoring record of 36 set by Rosemarie Julien and Nasrin Ulel. Furthermore, the team's 105 points ties an ASUN tournament single-game team record that was coincidentally set by the Eagles two years ago against Lipscomb.
 
O'Neal tallied her season-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a 4-for-5 finish from long distance. She added a pair of steals and rebounds over 20 minutes of action and topped her previous season-high of 20 set against Saint Francis. Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) added 10 points, five assists and two rebounds, while nine others also scored.
 
On the glass, Tytionia Adderly had a game-high 12 rebounds while adding seven points, four assists, two steals and a block. It was her third straight game in double-figure rebounds, and she needed just 15 minutes of play to accomplish it. Overall, she pushed her career total to 1,171, which is 72 shy of eclipsing Georgia Southern product Phylette Blake's all-time ASUN record of 1,242 from 1985-89). Ulel, meanwhile, now sits at 225 career made 3-pointers after her two against Lipscomb. She needs two more to move into a tie for 10th-place in ASUN history.
 
As a team, FGCU finished 36-for-75 (.480) from the field, including a 16-for-37 (.432) performance from 3-point range. With those 16, the nation-leading Eagles have now made 386 this year, which gives them the second-most in a single-season in program history and moves them into a tie with the 2016 Sacramento State squad for fifth-most in a single-season in NCAA Division I history. Only three teams have ever made 400 in a season, including the 2017-18 version of the Green and Blue, who hold the all-time record with 431.
 
Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS), who poured in a career-high seven 3-pointers in the last meeting against Lipscomb, drained a left-wing 3-pointer just over a minute into the game to open the scoring. The Eagles continued to pour it on, jumping out to a 16-0 lead to open the game in a run that featured buckets from four different players along with four points, two rebounds and an assist from Wingate.
 
After Lipscomb's Taylor Clark drove the left side for a layup with 4:33 left in the opening quarter for her team's first points of the game, the Eagles scored the next 14 points with five more from Wingate. By the time the dust settled, FGCU led 30-2 and eventually held a 31-point advantage at the end of the quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Wingate put on a show by scoring 18 of her 29 first-half points on 6-for-6 shooting. She made all four of her 3-point attempts in the quarter, including one from straightaway as time expired. She also assisted on two of the five other field goals for the Eagles in the frame and converted a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays.
 
The visiting Bisons, featuring a young and up-and-coming roster, didn't back down in the second half despite the result as they outscored FGCU 49-40 over the final 20 minutes. Lipscomb's Jalyn Holcomb, who became the first player in program history to be named the ASUN's Freshman of the Year, finished with a team-high 15 points.
 
FGCU is now 28-0 all-time against Lipscomb, including three wins in the ASUN tournament, and every win has been by double-digits.
 
Tickets for Wednesday's quarterfinal can be purchased online here, or by stopping by the FGCU ticket office Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
ASUN Quarterfinal Results
Saturday, March 7
No. 5 North Florida 77, No. 4 Jacksonville 67 (OT)
No. 2 North Alabama 70, No. 7 Stetson 60
No. 3 Liberty 91, No. 6 Kennesaw State 86
No. 1 FGCU 105, No. 8 Lipscomb 71
 
ASUN Semifinal Matchups
Wednesday, March 11
No. 1 FGCU vs No. 5 North Florida, 7 p.m.
No. 2 North Alabama vs No. 3 Liberty, 7 p.m.
 
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 553-122 (.819) 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 201-17 (.922) mark in ASUN play. Over the past eight+ seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 137-5 (.975) 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--