KENNESAW, Ga. --- Behind the first game in program history in which three players scored at least 20 points, the No. 24/21 FGCU women's basketball team (24-2) won its 23rd straight game with an 87-62 rout of Jacksonville University (4-17) in an ASUN quarterfinal matchup inside the KSU Convocation Center on Thursday.

"I thought we got off to a great start, really shared the ball and played great defense in the first half," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said of his team, which outscored the Dolphins 48-21 in the first half. "We made them take tough shots and rebounded it well. I just thought we got off to a great start, which gave us a lead at halftime. Give Jacksonville credit in the second half. They just kept coming at us, and we didn't guard as well. Hopefully we can sustain our intensity of a longer period of time tomorrow."

The Eagles, who improved their all-time conference-best record in ASUN tournament play to 25-2, will now advance to the ASUN semifinals for the 10th consecutive season to face fourth-seeded Lipscomb, which edged Stetson 50-47 in overtime. No. 2 Liberty will play No. 3 North Florida in the other semifinal.

As a team, FGCU improved to 26-3 as a ranked Division I program, which includes a 9-1 record as a ranked AP team. It was also the third straight ASUN tournament game in which the Eagles had at least two players score 20 points or more, and should they win Friday's semifinal matchup, it would be the program's 11th-straight season with at least 25 wins.

Behind a 15-for-48 performance from long distance, the Eagles claimed the program's 300th all-time game with double-digit 3-pointers on Thursday. On top of that, they eclipsed 300 made 3-pointers this year (309) for the 12th straight season and pushed their attempt total to 923 as they look to extend their NCAA record streak of consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 attempts to six.

Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Western Nebraska CC) led all players with 28 points while also adding five assists, five rebounds and two steals. It was her sixth 25-plus point scoring effort of the season and her output was the fifth-most points an Eagle has scored in an ASUN tournament game, edging out Erica Nelson's 27-point performance against Jacksonville on March 8, 2017. She also produced fifth-best totals in field goals made (10) and free throws made (6).

Kierstan Bell finished second among all players with 22 points while adding 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in 28 minutes. The sophomore forward came within one rebound of matching the program's ASUN tournament record for most rebounds, which is currently held by Tytionia Adderly (twice) and Kaneisha Atwater. She registered her 16th double-double of the season, which is now just three shy of matching Whitney Knight for the second-most in an FGCU career, and she's only played 23 games in the Green and Blue.

Most Career Double-Doubles
FGCU's Division I Era (2007-present)

Sarah Hansen	20
Whitney Knight	19
Kierstan Bell	16
Ty Adderly	14
Adrianne McNally	6

Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State) notched her 20th career game with 20-plus points, which includes 19 this year, and 16 of her 18 career double-doubles have come this year. If that isn't enough, the Buckeye State native inched within two points of breaking Kaneisha Atwater's FGCU Division I era single-season scoring record of 569 points, which was set in 2015-16, and Bell has done so in 16 fewer games than Atwater.

Tyra Cox (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep/William & Mary) posted career-bests in points (21) and 3-point field goals made (7-for-13). The redshirt junior guard came within one 3-point make of tying the program's single-game record, and she is averaging 16.3 points over her past four contests. Her seven 3-pointers also fell just one short of matching China Dow's program-record for most in an ASUN tournament game, which was set on March 7, 2018 against Lipscomb.

Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy/Eastern Michigan) notched double-figures with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. It was her 13th game with at least 10 points this season. On the glass, Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus/Albany) pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds while adding five points. Four of her five offensive rebounds directly led to 10 additional points as FGCU outscored Jacksonville 15-1 in second-chance opportunities.

"We got great contributions from Bell and Morehouse, but Aaliyah came in and gave us a spark off the bench," Smesko said. "Tyra had a great game. She knocked down seven threes and had a career-high in points. Emma was just relentless on the boards, getting us extra possessions and playing great defense. It was great to see so many people contribute in a positive way."

Notes
The Green and Blue are now 51-14 all-time in the month of March, including a 39-10 record since becoming eligible for the ASUN and NCAA Tournaments in 2011-12.
 
With their win on Thursday, FGCU extended their winning streak to 23, which remains the second-longest in the nation behind Cal Baptist and is three shy of matching the program's Division I era record. The Eagles also tied UConn for the second-most wins in the nation behind Stanford (25).
 
Longest Overall Winning Streaks
Program History (Division I Era)

1.	26	12/6/14	3/21/15
2.	23	11/29/20	Present
3.	21	12/29/11	3/3/12
	21	12/28/12	3/8/13
	21	12/20/15	3/31/16

  
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 578-124 (.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 217-17 (.924) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 25-2 (.926) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past nine-plus seasons, including this year, he has guided FGCU to a 153-5 (.966) record in conference play with six undefeated seasons. The 11-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 17 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 84 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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