COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Behind a barrage of 15 three pointers and four players in double-figure scoring, the No. 20 and 12^th-seeded FGCU women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an 84-81 win over No. 16/5^th seed Virginia Tech (23-10) on Friday afternoon at the XFINITY Center. The Eagles (30-2) will take on 4^th seed Maryland (22-8) on Sunday with a tip time soon to be announced.
 
"I thought today was an outstanding game - the kind of game you would expect from two teams that are in the top 25," said head coach Karl Smesko. " It went back and forth the whole time. They were pounding the ball inside on us pretty good and we were a little slow to make an adjustment. I liked how tough we were down the stretch and both Karli Seay and Kierstan Bell made huge baskets down the stretch for us. They came through in the clutch. Overall, it was a great team effort. Everybody pulled together and found a way to hang on at the end."
 
The victory was the first NCAA Tournament win since defeating Missouri in the 2018 first round and improved the Eagles' record to 3-6 all-time in the Big Dance. It was also the second-highest win over a ranked opponent since Missouri which was ranked No. 15 and featured four players scoring in double figures which also last happened against the Tigers. The Eagles also nearly matched their program record for three pointers in NCAA Tournament games as the 15 were just two shy of matching the 2018 performance against Stanford (17-of-47) in the 2018 second round.
 
Against the Hokies, the Green and Blue went 15-of-38 (39.5%) from beyond the arc as part of a 30-of-64 shooting performance on the day. The Hokies were just 6-of-17 from deep but hit 30-of-60 and went 15-of-20 from the charity stripe. FGCU had an efficient offensive day with 19 assists and a season-low three turnovers for the game.
 
Bell, who earned AP and USBWA All-America Honorable Mention honors earlier this week, scored 22 points while adding eight rebounds to lead FGCU – she was just three points shy of matching her 2021 NCAA Tournament performance of 25 points against Michigan. Tishara Morehouse had 13 points and a season-high nine assists (one shy of her career-high). Seay finished with 12 points on a career-best four triples, while Kerstie Phills added 11 points. Andrea Cecil (8 points, 5 rebounds), Emma List (9 points), and Kendall Spray (9 points) all hit timely shots.
 
Virginia Tech was led by ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley who scored a game-high and program record 42 points as she went 16-of-27 from the floor and 10-of-14 at the free throw line. Georgia Amoore added 12 points to round out the top scorers in the game.
 
After trailing by one at the intermission, the Eagles took control of the second half with a 23-16 third quarter that was sparked by a 7-to-0 run midway through the stanza. Bell had eight in the frame, while Spray, Phills and Morehouse all scored five each.
 
The Hokies made quick work of erasing the six-point deficit to start the fourth quarter – Kitley hit six straight to open things up and tie the game 62-62. The Eagles withstood a 12-to-4 run by Tech over the first four minutes before counterpunching with a three and two free throws from Bell to pull back ahead 71-68 with 4:01 to go.
 
Virginia Tech tied the game at 74-74 two minutes later, but a lay-up from Bell and a triple by Seay with 28 seconds remaining gave the Eagles all the cushion they needed to hold on for the win. Spray hit four huge free throws in the final 16 seconds while Bell added one with five seconds to go to hold the Hokies at bay.


 
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 610-127 (.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 232-18 (.930) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 30-2 (.933) 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 549-100 (.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 90 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 44 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, 2022) 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 past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) 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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