FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's basketball team aims to keep its perfect record intact 4,748 miles away from home against host Hawai'i on Friday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The long journey is just the start as the Eagles begin play in the 2022 Bank of Hawaii Classic in the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu and then stay on the Big Island for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown Nov. 25-27.    

FGCU went 4-4 from the foul line in the final two minutes to hold off a fourth-quarter rally in the last meeting with Hawai'i, winning 73-67 in Honolulu on Nov. 24, 2018. The Eagles are 2-0 all-time against the Rainbow Wahine and will play them twice over the next 10 days.  Overall, this is the third trip in FGCU program history, with the Eagles having previously done so in 2011-12 and 2017-18.   

Hawai'i is 0-2 to start the season, losing 61-60 to Oregon State on Nov. 7, and 70-54 to Portland on Nov. 9. Sophomore forward Daejah Phillips has scored 37 points in two outings this season, including a career-high 25 against Portland.   

FGCU (2-0) downed FIU 92-63 on Sunday – the 14^th-straight victory against the Panthers – nine of which have occurred in Miami. Junior guard Alyza Winston (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon HS/Mississippi State) led all scorers with 19 points in the 29-point victory.    

Fifth-year guard Sha Carter (Southfield, Mich./Wylie E. Groves HS/Walsh) and junior guard Seneca Hackley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Saint Mary's HS) had 13 points each, and fifth-year guard Sophia Stiles (Malta, Mont./Malta HS/Montana) added 10 in the win.

Graduate guard Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Nebraska CC), who eclipsed the 1,000 career-point mark in FGCU's season opener against Old Dominion on Nov. 7, recorded eight assists and a career-high nine rebounds – both team bests – for the Eagles.    

Winston collected her first ASUN honor being named Newcomer of the Week (the 48th NOW award for the Eagles program) on the strength of her FGCU debut against Old Dominion (22 points) as well as her performance against FIU.   

FGCU's Raining 3s mantra has continued through the first two games of the 2022-23 season – as FGCU made nine 3-pointers on 28 attempts against Old Dominion and canned 15 treys on 37 attempts (40.5 percent) against FIU.     

FGCU's run to its most recent national ranking last season was due to the Eagles' continued dominance behind the 3-point arc. The Eagles have led the nation in made threes per game the past three years and in four of the last five seasons -- with an NCAA single-season record 431 in 2017-18.   

Entering this season, the Eagles were selected by both the coaches and the media to repeat as ASUN champions. FGCU is currently ranked second in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Eagles finished a program-best-ever No. 20 in 2021-22 and have four Top 25 finishes in the past five seasons. Further, only the Green & Blue and defending national champion South Carolina have won at least 30 games in five of the last eight campaigns.     

FGCU continues play in the 2022 Bank of Hawaii Classic on Sunday, facing San Diego at 5:30 p.m.

The Eagles will enjoy Thanksgiving in the Aloha State before playing three games in the 2022 Rainbow Wahine Showdown starting Nov. 25.   

 
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS, MINI PLANS AVAILABLE    
Tickets for the 2022-23 FGCU Basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased by going online to www.FGCUTickets.com or calling 866-FGCU-TIX. Group tickets can also be purchased for 10 or more people – making a memorable evening for families, businesses, or other organizations.    
 
COACH SMESKO     
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko maintains a record of 612-128 (.827) overall in his career, 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 232-18 (.928) mark in ASUN regular-season play and a 30-2 (.938) 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 12-time ASUN Coach of the Year has led the program to 12-straight 25-win seasons and 18 consecutive 20-win campaigns, including 30-plus wins in five of the last eight years. On top of all that, the Eagles are 551-101 (.845) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green & Blue's .845 all-time winning percentage is the best in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.     
 
 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!    
 
#FEEDFGCU 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.     
  
ABOUT FGCU  
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 93 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 46 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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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