FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball tips off the 2024-25 season Tuesday at Davidson at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
FGCU faces the Wildcats for just the second time in program history. FGCU won the first-ever meeting back in 2020 by 23 points, an 84-61 victory in Fort Myers, Florida. In season openers, the Eagles are 5-1 in their last six games to begin a season. The last season-opening loss for FGCU occurred in 2018 at South Dakota State, a road trip that witnessed an 80-62 defeat.
Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter in basketball history and Davidson alum, can learn a thing or two from the Karl Smesko offense, who enters his 23rd year with the Eagles. FGCU has knocked down 300 or more made threes for 15 straight seasons, leading the country in made threes in five out of the last seven seasons. The Eagles produced 325 treys a season ago, placing sixth overall in the nation. The Green and Blue set the NCAA record for the most made threes in a single season in 2018 with 431.
Davidson produced an 18-8 record last year that included a win over Duke before having to cancel the remainder of the season due to numerous injuries. The Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in this year's A10 preseason poll. Gayle Fulks, head coach of the Wildcats, was also named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award alongside Smesko.
The Eagles are coming off a 29-5 campaign, their eighth straight ASUN Tournament title and 10th all-time NCAA tournament berth a season ago – falling to fifth-seeded Oklahoma 73-70 in Bloomington, Indiana.
Only FGCU and UConn have won 25 or more games over the last 14 seasons. In fact, FGCU has produced 30 or more wins in three out of the last five seasons. The Eagles have won 92 games over the last three campaigns, ranking third most in the nation – trailing only South Carolina (109) and UConn (94). FGCU is ahead of both LSU and Stanford at 91 wins apiece. In 2021, FGCU tamed the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge 88-74. Smesko is eighth overall in total wins (672-137, .831) and third overall in win percentage among all active DI women's basketball head coaches, behind none other than UConn's Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey.
The Green and Blue soar into the 2024-25 season ranked No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. FGCU also received four votes in the preseason USA Today Top 25 Poll.
Emani Jefferson and Skyler Gill were named the Atlantic Sun Conference's Preseason Player and Co-Defensive Player of the Year, while FGCU was picked to finish first in both the ASUN coaches and media poll. FGCU earned all 12 and 45 first-place votes in the polls. Jefferson is the defending ASUN Newcomer, Player and Defender of the Year. Jefferson appeared on the preseason watch list for Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, and was ranked No. 20 on the World Exposure's Top 50 Women's College Basketball Mid-Major Players to Watch list.
Fellow returnee Dolly Cairns was also named preseason ASUN All-Conference. Cairns is one of eight returners from the 2023-34 season. FGCU attracted Gill, Lauryn Taylor and Alahna Paige to the City of Palms as part of seven newcomers. Taylor broke the NCAA record for the most rebounds in a single game last year with 43, and Paige drained more than 100 threes a season ago. Gill is a former two-time ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honoree during her time with North Alabama.
The Eagles' home opener is Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. against NJIT. Tickets for the FGCU women's basketball season start at just $12 for general admission. This year, 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).
