FORT MYERS, Fla. – Behind a 24-point third quarter, the No. 20 FGCU women's basketball team won its 15^th straight game overall and 33^rd consecutive ASUN contest, 63-53, over North Alabama on Wednesday at Alico Arena. The Eagles improved to 22-1 overall and 11-0 in the ASUN, while the Lions fell to 9-13 overall and 4-6 in league play.
 
"It was obviously a very tough game; North Alabama played with a lot of energy and I thought they defended at a high level," said head coach Karl Smesko. "They're always a well-coached team and they definitely gave us problems throughout the game. Fortunately, in the third quarter we were able to get a bit of separation. I thought Seneca Hackley's play was a big part of that with her energy and aggressiveness in attacking the basket."
 
Tishara Morehouse led FGCU with 19 points bolstered by three three-pointers. Kendall Spray scored 13 points, while Karli Seay had 12 points. Kerstie Phills had 10 points and seven rebounds, while Hackley had nine.
 
The Lions were led by 18 points from Alexis Callins, while Skyler Gill added 13 to round out the top scorers.
 
The Eagles were able to build out a 15-to-4 advantage in points off turnovers which helped build momentum in the third.
 
After North Alabama led 21-20 at the intermission, FGCU began to pull away after a 24-15 third quarter to go up 44-46 heading into the fourth. Morehouse was a major catalyst in the third where she scored 13 of her 19 points in the stanza after going 4-of-5 from the field while adding four rebounds.
 
Spray and Hackley helped keep the lead at double figures throughout the fourth as UNA tried to comeback. Spray scored 10 of her 13 points in the fourth including five straight points to push a seven-point lead back to 12, 54-42, with 5:21 remaining.
 
Seay and Spray combined to hit five free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
The Eagles will return to action this Saturday as FGCU gets back to ASUN East Division play when Stetson visits Alico Arena as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. The men will start at 4 PM, while the women's game will tip at 7 PM. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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 602-126 (.826) 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 228-17 (.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 541-99 (.845) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green and Blue's .845 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. 20, 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 25 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, 2021 Spring, and 2021 Fall 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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