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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The No. 27 FGCU women's basketball team (13-2 overall, 1-0 ASUN) won its 14th straight conference opener in style Monday night, overwhelming the Liberty Flames (6-6, 0-1) 70-53 at Alico Arena. The victory, FGCU's fifth straight, improved the Green & Blue to 11-0 all-time against the Flames. Four Eagles reached double-digit scoring totals with graduate guard Sha Carter (Southfield, Mich./Wylie E. Groves HS/Walsh) leading FGCU with 17 points – her eighth double-digit scoring performance of the season.
 
No. 27 FGCU brought home the ASUN Player of the Week and ASUN Player of the Week accolades earlier Monday and redshirt junior guard Alyza Winston (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon HS/Michigan State/Mississippi State) and fifth-year guard Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King HS/Nebraska CC) did not disappoint. Winston, earning her third ASUN Newcomer of the Week honor, scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half. The two-time ASUN Player of the Week award winner, Morehouse had 11 points on the night.
 
Senior forward Uju Ezeudu (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg HS/Denver) added 10 points off the bench to round out the Eagles' top scoring, and graduate guard Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus/Albany) contributed to eight FGCU baskets with her eight assists. List is averaging six assists per game in the last three contests.
 
On the glass, graduate guard Sophia Stiles (Malta, Mont./Malta HS/Montana) grabbed a team-high six rebounds for her fifth straight game as either the Eagles' top rebounder or sharing high honors in that category.
 
As a team, FGCU posted 18 assists on 24 baskets and took care of the ball, committing a season-low six turnovers.
 
Liberty had trouble keeping up with FGCU from the opening tap, as the Eagles leaped out to an 11-2 lead in the first five minutes by swarming to loose balls and working the perimeter on offense. List hit back-to-back triples to help the Green & Blue to a 21-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, a period that saw the Eagles make 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. 

"The way we started the game made a big difference, because we were playing loose and aggressive," said FGCU head women's basketball coach Karl Smesko. "Emma hit those couple 3s and we had a couple transition baskets in there, which was nice. We started with really good pace and were able to build a comfortable margin."
 
FGCU tightened its defense even more in the second quarter, limiting Liberty to just 3-of-11 from the field and seven points – the lowest point total in a quarter since the Eagles gave up just six to Palm Beach Atlantic on Dec. 8. FGCU scored just 12 points, but still carried a 33-16 lead into the break. 
 
Not content with a sizable lead, FGCU had its best offensive output in the third quarter with 25 points. Winston buried three 3-pointers, the third giving the Eagles a 27-point cushion with 40 seconds remaining, and Morehouse added two triples. The Green & Blue shot 61.5 percent in the quarter, which was more than enough to offset Liberty's 17 points. 
 
Liberty's offense finally found traction in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Eagles 20-12, but couldn't overcome the early deficit. The Flames were led by redshirt senior center Mya Berkman, who scored 17 points, and freshman guard Pien Steenbergen, who grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. 
 
Twelve Eagles saw action, with eight playing at least 12 minutes. 
 
The Eagles are now 14-2 all-time in conference openers and have won nine of their last 10 games this season. Liberty's three-game winning streak ended Monday and the Flames fell to 0-7 all-time in Alico Arena.
 
FGCU finishes up a four-game homestand against Jacksonville at 7 p.m. Thursday, then the Eagles hit the road Saturday for a 6 p.m. game at North Alabama. Liberty plays host to Central Arkansas on Thursday afternoon. 
 
FGCU has made the most 3-pointers in the country, hitting 162 triples so far in 2022-23, and is tied for first nationally with 10.8 per game. The Green & Blue defends the arc as well, allowing opponents only 4.1 3-pointers per game. 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.
 
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 623-130 (.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 233-18 (.932) mark in ASUN regular-season play and a 30-2 (.938) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the previous 10-plus seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 154-5 (.969) 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 562-103 (.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 94 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 47 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 and No. 25 in 2022-23) 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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.
 
---FGCUATHLETICS.COM---