HONOLULU – Raining 3s isn't just a catchy mantra; it is a way of life for the FGCU women's basketball team. 
 
The 25th-ranked Eagles needed every 3-pointer they could get Sunday – hitting 10 treys and outscoring San Diego 21-13 in the fourth quarter en route to a 68-60 win in the 2022 Bank of Hawaii Classic. FGCU (4-0) has held all four of its opponents this season under 63 points
 
"This was a good challenge for us," said FGCU women's basketball coach Karl Smesko. "San Diego was tough, and we needed a great fourth quarter to win." 
 
Junior guard Alyza Winston (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon HS/Mississippi State) led all scorers with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Graduate guard Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Nebraska CC) pumped in two 3-pointers en route to 15 points and grabbed five rebounds.  
 
Graduate guard Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus/Albany), fifth-year guard Kaela Webb (Pontiac, Mich./Detroit Country Day HS/Detroit Mercy/Providence), and senior forward Uju Ezeudu (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg HS/Denver) each added eight points for the Eagles. Fifth-year guard Sophia Stiles (Malta, Mont./Malta HS/Montana) led the Green & Blue with three assists. FGCU went 2-0 in the 2022 Bank of Hawaii Classic after downing Hawai'i 65-45 on Friday.
 
"Alyza had some big baskets in the fourth quarter and K made some great plays down the stretch. And Emma was tough as usual," Smesko said. 
 
Early on, it looked like FGCU (4-0) would dominate San Diego – leaping out to an early lead via an 11-1 game-opening run. The Eagles extended their advantage to double digits via a Winston 3-pointer with 2:16 remaining in the first quarter.  
 
The Eagles went up 12 early in the second quarter, but San Diego caught fire – erasing the last of it with a Kiera Oakry triple at the 2:59 mark and then relinquishing the lead via a Jess Finney 3 with 44 seconds to go in the half to cap a 22-10 quarter. 
 
Trailing at halftime for the first time this season, FGCU came out of the break ready to erase San Diego's lead by leaning on what it does best. List canned two 3s – the second one giving the Eagles a 39-36 edge – and Stiles hit from deep to make it 42-41. Morehouse also hit a trey late in the quarter to make it 47-47. 
 
It remained a one-possession game deep into the fourth quarter before an Eagles burst put away the Toreros for good. Webb drained a 3-pointer with 3:34 remaining to make it 62-57, then corralled a steal that made its way to Morehouse for a layup and a 64-57 margin with 2:19 to go.  
 
FGCU made two straight stops on defense, then fed Winston for an inside bucket with 46 seconds remaining for a 66-57 lead. From there, San Diego cut the margin to six points, but Webb secured the victory with two free throws so the Eagles could head into a short Thanksgiving break with their perfect record intact. 
 
Myah Pace led San Diego (3-2) with 16 points, and Okry added 12. 
 
FGCU will spend Thanksgiving week in Hawai'i before the first game of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown vs. No. 2 Stanford on Friday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. ET. The Eagles play three games in their next tournament vs. the Cardinal, Hawai'i (Nov. 26), and Grambling State (Nov. 27). 

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 614-128 (.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 553-101 (.846) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green & Blue's .846 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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