DeLAND, Fla. – Paced by 23 points from Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian/Wagner) and 12 points from Kendall Spray (Mt. Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central/UT Martin/Clemson), the No. 21 FGCU women's basketball team cruised past Stetson, 78-41, on Wednesday night at the Edmunds Center. The win improves FGCU to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in ASUN play, while Stetson fell to 8-1 overall and 1-4 in league action.
 
The win extended FGCU's current win streak to nine games, while the Eagles also pushed their nation-best road winning streak to 25 games. The Green and Blue also won their 27^th game against an ASUN foe which ranks third nationally.

"Tonight was a great team win. We really shared the ball well and had a great defensive effort," said head coach Karl Smesko. "Phills had an outstanding game on both ends of the floor."
 
It also marked the second time this season that FGCU held an opponent scoreless from beyond the arc as Stetson was 0-for-9 from deep. The Eagles had previously held Temple 0-for-11 from three point range this season and it marked the third time in the last six years to not give up a three pointer. Also, defensively, the 41 points marked the fewest points given up to a Division I opponent this season and the second fewest overall – 105-41 vs. Florida Memorial and 99-37 vs. Ave Maria.
 
Phills shot 9-of-13 from the floor including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to surpass her previous FGCU career-best of 19 points which she has set twice including against Jacksonville 10 days ago. The 23 points were just one shy of her overall career high of 24 against Long Island set during her freshman campaign in 2017 at Wagner. She also added nine rebounds and an assist in 28 minutes.
 
Spray's 12 points came on 4-of-11 from beyond the arc as she moved into sixth all-time in NCAA history for made three pointers. She now has 416 in her career which puts her two behind Maryland's Katie Benzan who will play on Thursday night against No. 25 Ohio State.
 
Overall, 11 different players scored with nine all hitting at least one three pointer in the game. (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor/LSU/Western Nebraska CC) and Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King/Western Nebraska CC) each had eight points to round out the high scorers for the Eagles.
 
Stetson was led by 12 points from Tatiana Streun, who also had a team-best seven rebounds, and 10 points from Kiya Turner.
 
The Eagles took advantage of 19 miscues by the Hatters converting those into 24 points, while Stetson scored just five points on eight turnovers by FGCU. The Green and Blue also converted 16 offensive rebounds into 18 points.
 
After taking a 17-11 lead after the first quarter, FGCU pulled away in the second taking a 40-23 lead into the intermission. Phills had 15 points in the first half, going 6-of-8 from the floor, while posting six of her nine rebounds.
 
Spray hit two of her four triples in the third quarter to push the lead to 60-36. Those came as part of a 13-to-4 run for the Eagles over a five minute stretch.
 
The Eagles then closed out the game with an 18-5 fourth quarter where they held the Hatters to just 2-of-12 shooting.
 
FGCU will close out its two-game road trip on Saturday at Jacksonville State as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. The Gamecocks are currently the top team in the ASUN West Division and tipoff is slated for 2:45 PM on ESPN+.
 
 

Top 10 - NCAA Career 3-Point Field Goals Made
Name	School	Years	Gms	3's
Kelsey Mitchell	Ohio St.	2015-18	139	*497
Taylor Pierce	Idaho	2016-19	135	472
Jess Kovatch	Saint Francis (Pa.)	2016-19	130	472
Darby Maggard	Belmont	2016-19	134	430
Katie Benzan	Maryland	2016-Pres.	131	418
Kendall Spray	FGCU	2016-present	137	416
Mikayla Ferenz	Idaho	2016-19	135	415
Rachael Childress	UAB	2017-20	128	415
Katelynn Flaherty	Michigan	2015-18	140	410
Presley Hudson	Central Mich.	2016-19	133	407

 
 
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 596-126 (.825) overall in his career, which is the third-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey. He has also led the Eagles to a 222-17 (.929) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 27-2 (.931) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the previous 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 535-99 (.844) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green and Blue's .844 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/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 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. 25, 2021-22), 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 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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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