FORT MYERS, Fla. - Kierstan Bell poured in 25 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to lead the No. 27 FGCU women's basketball team (17-2, 10-0 ASUN) to its 16th consecutive victory in an 88-38 win over Kennesaw State (6-9, 1-9) inside Alico Arena on Sunday.

The Eagles now own the nation's fourth-longest overall winning streak among active teams behind California Baptist (21), Bucknell (17) and Gonzaga (17). They will now get the chance to extend the nation's longest road winning streak (19) at Jacksonville next weekend.
 
"I loved our defensive effort in the second half," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "I thought Tomia, Seneca, Kiki and Aaliyah all did very well today."
 
Defensively, FGCU held Kennesaw State to single-digits in the second and fourth quarters, including a 23-4 advantage in the fourth behind a stellar performance from younger players such as Tomia Johnson and Seneca Hackley, who combined for 25 points, four assists and four steals.
 
In fact, the Eagles held the visitors to 38 points, which represented the 21st time in program history that FGCU has limited a conference opponent to fewer than 40 in a game. It was the fourth time they've done so against the Owls.
 
The 50-point margin of victory represented just the sixth time in program history that FGCU has outscored a Division I opponent by at least that many, including the second time this year (Lipscomb, 54, Jan. 23). Those two games are also representative of the two largest conference blowouts at home in program history.
 
Largest Margin of Victory vs DI Opponent
Program History
 

1/23/21	54	vs Lipscomb
2/16/13	51	at Lipscomb
12/4/10	51	at Jacksonville
2/14/21	50	vs Kennesaw State
3/7/18	50	vs Lipscomb
1/23/17	50	vs USC Upstate

 
Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State) not only led all players in points and rebounds, but she tied for the game-high in assists (4) and blocks (2) while adding three steals. It was her 12th double-double of the season, and her rebound total was the second-highest total of her sophomore campaign behind a 20-rebound debut performance. On top of that, it was her sixth consecutive game with at least 20 points, which she's also reached in eight of 10 ASUN games.
 
Hackley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Saint Mary's HS) added 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting with four rebounds, three steals and two assists in 21 minutes off the bench. She fell just two shy of matching her season-high in scoring. Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy/Eastern Michigan) also contributed 13 points off the bench with three assists and a pair of rebounds in 15 minutes.
 
Johnson (Aurora, Colo./Grandview HS) had a season-best performance with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists on 5-for-6 shooting in 11 minutes of action. Tishara Morehouse (9) and Emma List (8) finished just shy of reaching double-figures as FGCU shot 35-for-66 (.530) from the field, including 12-for-30 (.400) from long distance.
 
List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus/Albany) tied Bell and Tyra Cox for the team-high in assists with four, while Cox (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep HS/William & Mary) finished second in rebounds with six.
 
Andrea Cecil (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor HS/BGSU) chipped in two points to move within 13 of the 1,000 milestone in her NCAA career.
 
The Eagles are now 29-2 all-time against Kennesaw State, including a 16-0 record inside Alico Arena. They've also won 23 consecutive games against the Owls dating back to Jan. 4, 2012.
 
Sunday's game was the 295th time in program history FGCU has made at least 10 3-pointers, and it was their 494th-straight with at least one made 3-pointer.

UPDATED ASUN STANDINGS
 

Place	Team	Overall	ASUN
1.	FGCU	17-2	10-0
2.	Liberty	14-5	10-2
3.	North Florida	10-7	8-2
4.	Lipscomb	9-7	6-4
5.	North Alabama	6-15	5-7
6.	Bellarmine	4-13	4-8
7.	Stetson	5-10	3-7
8.	Kennesaw State	6-9	1-9
	Jacksonville	3-12	1-9

 
ASUN SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Saturday, Feb. 13
FGCU 104, Kennesaw State 60
Liberty 76, Bellarmine 62
Lipscomb 66, Jacksonville 55
Stetson 75, North Alabama 66

Sunday, Feb. 14
FGCU 88, Kennesaw State 38
Liberty 79, Bellarmine 73
Lipscomb 63, Jacksonville 36
North Alabama 70, Stetson 65
 
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.
 
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 571-124 (.821) 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 211-17 (.924) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 24-2 (.923) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past nine-plus seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 147-5 (.966) 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--