FORT MYERS, Fla. - Behind 57 combined points from Kierstan Bell and Tishara Morehouse, the FGCU women's basketball team (10-2, 3-0) registered a 103-49 win over Lipscomb University (5-6, 2-3) inside Alico Arena on Saturday afternoon. It was the ninth straight win for the Eagles, and the 54-point margin represented the largest in a victory over a Division I opponent in program history.
 
"They were both exceptional," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said of the performances from the ASUN's top two scorers. "TK was really good in transition and attacking the rim. When she didn't have the space, she passed it out to shooters. Bell just really had it going. She attacked the rim, she was shooting it really well from three, and she just had all phases of her game going. Both of them had just outstanding performances."
 
Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State) poured in a game-high 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds and two assists. She finished 10-for-15 from the field, including a 6-for-9 finish from long distance. Meanwhile, Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Western Nebraska CC) tallied 28 points along with a game-high six assists on 12-for-20 shooting.
 
The duo combined to produce their 57 points in 50 total minutes of action over just three quarters due to the scoring margin. Morehouse's 12 made field goals is tied for sixth-most in a game over the course of the program's Division I era, while her 20 attempts is tied for the seventh-most.
 
Bell, who made six 3-pointers in a game for the third time this year, helped the Eagles produce 103 points as a team, which is the 10th-most ever scored inside Alico Arena and the seventh-most in a Division I era game overall. It was the second-straight game in which FGCU reached the century mark against Lipscomb dating back to a 105-71 win over the Bisons in last year's ASUN quarterfinal, and it was the 21st 100-point performance in FGCU history - and four of those 21 have come against Lipscomb.
 
In addition to Bell and Morehouse, Emma List (9), Tanner Bryant (8), Tomia Johnson (8), Tyra Cox (7), Aaliyah Stanley (5), Kierra Adams (5), Seneca Hackley (2) and Sheahen Dowling (2) also reached the scoring column. As a team, FGCU committed just four turnovers while making 10-for-30 from long distance.
 
The visiting Bisons led FGCU 10-6 just over three minutes into the game, but the Eagles responded with a 16-2 run that was capped by a banked-in 3-pointer from Cox (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep/William & Mary) with 1:32 left in the quarter. Lipscomb's Blythe Pearson drained a 3-pointer to pull her team within seven in the final seconds, but Morehouse went coast-to-coast and delivered a highlight-reel finish at the hoop to give the Eagles a 27-18 lead.
 
Five straight points from List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus HS/Albany) pushed the margin to as many as 20 with 2:22 left in the half, and FGCU took an 18-point lead into the break following a 3-pointer from Bell in the final minute.
 
Following that, FGCU clamped down on defense, outscoring Lipscomb 30-9 in the third quarter and 25-10 in the fourth. After the Bisons scored on their opening possession of the second half, the Eagles reeled off 13 straight points with all of them coming from Bell or Morehouse. In fact, the duo scored 25 of the team's 30 points in the third quarter.
 
Midway through the third quarter, Bell pulled down her 10th rebound on the defensive end following a missed free throw. In doing so, she recorded her seventh double-double over nine games played this year. It was also her seventh 20-point performance, and she inched closer to FGCU's single-season record for most double-doubles as she now sits just one shy of tying Sarah Hansen and Whitney Knight for the top spot. Meanwhile, Morehouse tallied her fourth 25-plus point performance with the second-highest single-game total of her junior campaign.
 
The Green and Blue emptied their bench in the final quarter, and several players had outstanding performances as Bryant (Washington Court House, Ohio/Miami Trace HS) and Johnson (Aurora, Colo./Grandview HS) each scored eight in the quarter, while Adams (Lawrenceville, Ga./Brookwood HS) had five. Hackley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Saint Mary's HS) had an outstanding sequence where she blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound and threw a one-handed pass down court to a streaking Johnson for the layup.
 
Notes
Alyssa Blair (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie HS) played in her 99th career game with another start on Saturday. The senior is on track to become just the 16th player in the program's Division I era to play in 100 games on Sunday.
 
Taylor Clark, who reached 1,000 career points in the game, tied Dorie Harrison for the team-high in scoring for Lipscomb with 13.
 
Both teams will meet once again inside Alico Arena on Sunday at 2 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.
 
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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 564-124 (.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 204-17 (.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 140-5 (.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.
 
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