FGCU-Ave Maria box score | updated FGCU stats

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The No. 28 FGCU women's basketball team (7-1) returned to Alico Arena in grand style Sunday afternoon, defeating Ave Maria 88-35. All 12 Eagles earned at least four minutes of playing time, and 11 in Green & Blue scored in the victory. FGCU won its third straight game Sunday and continues its homestand at Alico Arena with games Thursday, Dec. 8, vs. Palm Beach Atlantic and Sunday, Dec. 11, vs. Duke.
 
Junior guard Brylee Bartram (Tampa, Fla./Seffner Christian Academy/Florida/Vanderbilt) came off the bench and connected on seven 3-pointers for a game-high 21 points. Bartram's seven treys rank as the second-highest individual single-game total in FGCU history with five instances of eight 3-pointers topping the Eagles' chart. 
 
"Throughout this week we have just been trying to progress defensively and offensively, trying to build strong habits to where we are solid team and compete against the best in the country," said FGCU associate head coach Chelsea Lyles, who directed the game in a head coaching role for the third straight season while Eagles head coach Karl Smesko served as an assistant on the bench.  
 
"Brylee is a really good shooter, so it was good to see them go in. I'm just appreciative that Coach Smesko gives me this opportunity to grow as a coach in this fashion every season." 
 
Junior guard Alyza Winston (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon HS/Mississippi State) dropped 15 points and fifth-year guard Sha Carter (Southfield, Mich./Wylie E. Groves HS/Walsh) added 14 for FGCU. Carter and senior forward Uju Ezeudu (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg HS/Denver) each pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. 
 
Ave Maria (8-1), an NAIA program in nearby Collier County, is permitted to schedule an exhibition game against NCAA Division I programs during its season, so Sunday's game does not count against Ave Maria's official record. The Gyrenes were unable to solve their Alico Arena jinx and were held to six first-quarter points as FGCU forced 10 turnovers.
 
Only one 3-pointer fell for each team in the first quarter as FGCU's Carter hit a corner triple with 44 seconds to play in the period.
 
FGCU's defensive dominance continued in the second quarter and held Ave Maria to a 15.4 field goal percentage from the floor to finish the half with just 12 points. FGCU improved in the second period, shooting 53 percent from the floor with six of its eight baskets coming from beyond the arc. Bartram canned three treys, Stiles hit two and Winston added another to build a 43-12 lead. 
 
The Green & Blue continued to fire from deep in the second half and made 14 of 48 3-point attempts. That boosted FGCU's season average to 11.3 treys per game (90 total) – the best in the country. FGCU's run to its 2021-22 national ranking 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 total 431 in 2017-18.   
 
Freshman forward Mckenzi Lyons led Ave Maria with six points. Ave Maria finished with 31 turnovers, which FGCU converted to 41 points. FGCU's bench also scored 44 of its 88 points. 
 
Entering this season, the Eagles were selected by both the coaches and the media to repeat as ASUN champions. FGCU is currently ranked No. 3 in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Eagles finished with a program-best-ever No. 20 ranking 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.   
 
For complete coverage of FGCU women's basketball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_WBB and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU women's basketball and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
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 617-129 (.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 556-102 (.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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