ORLANDO, Fla. --- Kierstan Bell registered a double-double, and Kendall Spray poured in 17 points - several in key moments - as the FGCU women's basketball team (5-0) came back from down 10 early to defeat Fairfield (2-2) 83-61 on Saturday in the finale of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge in the HP Fieldhouse at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex.
 
With the outcome, FGCU moves within one victory of matching the 2017-18 team's 6-0 start, which they can do against Tennessee Tech next Friday in the opener of the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. This year's stretch to open the season is the third-best in the program's Division I era behind the 2017-18 team and the 2010-11 team, which started 14-0.
 
"This was a great win for us," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Fairfield is a very tough and well-coached team. I loved our intensity in the second half. Everyone who went into the game was ready to make a positive contribution."
 
Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State) overcame a tough first half to finish with a game-high 22 points along with 10 rebounds, one block and one steal. It is her fifth-straight 20-plus point effort to open the season. She also registered her second double-double of the season, which is the 18th of her FGCU career over just 31 games.
 
In doing so, Bell now sits one shy of Whitney Knight for second place in career double-doubles in the program's Division I era. Sarah Hansen (20) holds the top spot.
 
Outside of Bell, Spray (Mt. Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central/UT Martin/Clemson) poured in 17 points, including nine points in the first quarter after FGCU fell behind 13-3. Her offensive spurt off the bench helped the Eagles pull within four through one. She added five rebounds and two steals.
  
Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King/Western Nebraska CC) matched her season-high in scoring with 17 while registering game-highs in assists (7) and steals (3).
 
After shooting just 5-for-18 in the first quarter, FGCU made a combined 18-for-34 from the field in the second and third quarters combined. They also sank 14 3-pointers, which is the fourth time they've reached that plateau in five games.
 
With the game knotted at 33 apiece late in the first half, Kaela Webb's (Pontiac, Mich./Detroit Country Day/Providence/Detroit Mercy) corner 3-pointer gave FGCU a three-point lead. The Eagles then scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half, which included 3-pointers from Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus/Albany) and Tyra Cox (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep/William & Mary).

"We were trying to make more defensive plays (in the second half) trying to put some defensive pressure on them because they run their sets really, really well," Smesko said. "So, we had to screw up their timing a little bit, and I thought we let them move the ball a little too easy in the first half. I thought we did a better job putting pressure on them in the second half. That led to a few more turnovers and also some tougher looks for them."
 
Later, the Green and Blue closed the quarter on a 9-3 run to take a 66-49 lead through three. They led by as many as 25 in the fourth following a three-point play from Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy/Eastern Michigan) with 2:42 remaining.
 
Notes
With the win, FGCU stretched its regular season winning streak to 27 straight dating back to Nov. 30 of last year.
 
Bell has 133 points through five games, while Spray leads the country with an astounding 25-for-39 (.641) performance from 3-point range.
 
FGCU improved to 7-1 all-time against the MAAC with four straight wins.
 
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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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 585-125 (.824) overall in his career, which is the third-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and Baylor's Kim Mulkey. He has also led the Eagles to a 217-17 (.927) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 27-2 (.931) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past 10 seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 153-5 (.968) record in conference play with six undefeated seasons. The 11-time ASUN Coach of the Year has led the program to 11-straight 25-win seasons and 17-consecutive 20-win campaigns, including 30-plus wins in four of the past seven years. On top of all that, the Eagles are 524-98 (.842) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green and Blue's .824 all-time winning percentage is the best in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
 
#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 85 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 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall 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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