Maddie Antenucci hit late threes Sunday as FGCU women's basketball took down Cincinnati 59-52 to win the inaugural Atlantic Slam on Prince Edward Island in Canada.
"I'm very proud of our team and staff," first-year head coach Chelsea Lyles said. "It was a full team effort and a lot of people stepped up."
Up three, under a minute to play and the shot clock winding down, Antenucci drilled a long-range shot to lift FGCU to a two-possession lead at 56-50. Antenucci hit two more crucial 3-pointers down the stretch before her final dagger to the Bearcats.
Antenucci sank her third of the day with seven minutes to play to make it 51-43 Eagles. She let one fly to beat the third-quarter buzzer and propel FGCU into the fourth with a six-point advantage at 42-36, sending the Green and Blue bench into a frenzy. Antenucci finished the day with 16 points and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Emani Jefferson was named the Atlantic Slam MVP. Jefferson poured in a team-high 19 points Saturday, while adding six assists and four rebounds. Dolly Cairns was also named to the All-Tournament Team. Cairns added 11 points and three treys. FGCU knocked down nine trifectas Sunday, one short shy of a season-high ten that occurred Saturday in a win over Georgetown.
Cincinnati's perimeter defense limited FGCU to just 19 points at the half, but the Eagles' defense kept the game in a deadlocked tie. FGCU outscored the taller Cincinnati roster 26-24 in the paint despite the Bearcats outrebounding the Eagles 32-22.
Trailing 53-50 with just 2:48 to play, Cincinnati corralled three consecutive offensive boards. The Bearcats missed two 3-point opportunities to tie and a layup in the sequence before Cerina Rolle came down with the ball to set up the heroics of the Antenucci three-ball.
Coach Lyles remained undefeated now at 3-0 after taking over for Karl Smesko. FGCU improved to 8-3 all-time against members of the Big XII Conference in its first-ever win over the Bearcats.
The Eagles return to Fort Myers for the FGCU Homewood Suites Classic the day after Thanksgiving. FGCU welcomes Cal Baptist, Chattanooga and Penn to the City of Palms for Feast Week. Both Chattanooga and Cal Baptist were NCAA Tournament teams a season ago.
FGCU opens the MTE event Friday against Cal Baptist at 4 p.m. for Friday Movie Night. The Eagles then host Chattanooga on Saturday at 4 p.m. for FansGiving. Eagle fans are encouraged to donate non-perishable food Saturday at the drop-off location inside the Alico Arena lobby. Those who donate will go home with a prize.
Tickets start at just $12 for general admission. Eagles fans can create and select their own mini-plan of four-, six-, or nine-game packages starting at $44. For more information on single-game and season tickets, please click
here or call the FGCU Ticket Office at 1-866-FGCU-TIX (866-324-8449).
