FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball closed the Homewood Suites Classic Thursday with a 78-62 victory over Southern Miss at Alico Arena.
Southern Miss entered the contest ranked No. 12 overall in the CollegeInsider.com's Mid Major Top 25 Poll and put up a physical fight. Southern Miss punched FGCU in the mouth early to lead the Eagles by one, 19-18, after the first period.
"You just have to keep your composure," head coach Karl Smesko said. "They are going to have some contact, and they are going to pressure the ball. They were looking to force turnovers. We just had to be strong with the ball in those situations."
FGCU found its footing in the second quarter by shooting 50 percent from the field. The Green and Blue grabbed a seven-point lead heading into the break, 36-29.
The Lady Eagles from Hattiesburg aggressively clawed back to within one, 41-40, at the 6:31 mark of the third. FGCU countered with back-to-back threes courtesy of Dolly Cairns and Emani Jefferson, fending off a possible Southern Miss haymaker and extended its lead back out to nine, 49-40.
Southern Miss would only be able to draw to within five the rest of the way. The Green and Blue connected on 19 of its 30 free throw attempts on numerous hard fouls.
An Uju Ezeudu layup put the Eagles up by 10 once again with 5:15 to play. FGCU managed to obtain a 21-point lead at 75-54, the largest of the night with just a little over two minutes remaining.
With the win, FGCU extended its home win streak to 20 games, the sixth-longest active win streak in the nation.
Defensively, the Eagles from Fort Myers caused havoc of their own, forcing 23 turnovers and scoring 30 points off the Southern Miss miscues. Ezeudu snagged a game-high six steals.
Domonique Davis' 30-point effort for Southern Miss would not be enough as the entire FGCU starting five surpassed the double-figure margin Thursday.
Cairns produced a team-leading 15 points, sinking four shots from deep. Both Jefferson and Ezeudu turned in 14-point performances. Maddie Antenucci provided 13 and Ajulu Thatha added 11.
FGCU returns to action after the Holiday Break December 28, hosting Webber International. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
