LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- Kierstan Bell just missed producing her fifth straight double-double, but poured in a game-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds on Sunday to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (9-2, 2-0 ASUN) to an 81-52 win over Bellarmine University (0-9, 0-4) on the road in Freedom Hall.
 
With the victory, the Eagles have now won eight straight overall, 15 straight on the road dating back to last year and 22 straight on the road against ASUN opponents. The overall road winning streak is the second longest in the country behind South Carolina. FGCU will be back in action next Saturday at home against Lipscomb at 2 p.m.
 
Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State), who sat out the fourth quarter due to the scoring margin, finished 10-for-20 from the field in 23 minutes while adding two assists and a block. Tishara Morehouse added 19 points, four rebounds, a game-high four steals and three assists, while Aaliyah Stanley had 10 points and three steals off the bench.
 
After Bellarmine opened the game with a bucket in the paint, FGCU reeled off 20 consecutive points to take control. Bell scored 10 of the 20 points, while Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Western Nebraska CC) added five. The host Knights were held scoreless for seven and a half minutes after the opening layup, and the Eagles led 24-4 entering the second quarter.

"We had a great defensive effort in the first half," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Hopefully we can build on that as we continue conference play."
 
Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy/Eastern Michigan) teamed with Morehouse for five straight points to open the second quarter and complete a 27-2 run. Tyra Cox (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep/William & Mary), who finished with six points and two steals, pushed the margin to 26 with 1:49 left in the half.
 
Bellarmine opened the second half with four straight points to trim its deficit to 20, but FGCU responded with a 13-2 run to officially put the game away. Bell and Morehouse combined for eight points during the run, while Stanley capped it with a 3-pointer on an assist from Seneca Hackley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Saint Mary's HS), who also produced a layup during the run on an offensive board.
 
The Eagles pushed the margin to as many as 35 down the stretch in the third before emptying the bench. Andrea Cecil (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor HS/BGSU), who pushed her career scoring total to 968 this weekend, scored six of her eight points in the final quarter on a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Several others also contributed in the final quarter as Maddie Antenucci (4), Tomia Johnson (4) and Sheahen Dowling (2) scored. Alyssa Blair (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie HS), who competed in her 98th career game on Sunday, finished with one steal.
 
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 563-124 (.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 203-17 (.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 139-5 (.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. 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--