FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball hosts the FGCU Classic at Alico Arena beginning Friday through Saturday. The Eagles welcome East Tennessee State, IU Indy and North Carolina A&T to the City of Palms for the holiday MTE event.
FGCU plays NC A&T on Friday at 4 p.m. for Holiday Trivia Day and wraps up the event Saturday with Holiday Music Bingo against ETSU at 3:30 p.m. Listen up for your holiday favorites and play along. Winners will go home with limited-edition FGCU ornaments. Hot chocolate will be served at the concession stands.
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).
Only the FGCU games will be streamed on ESPN+. The Eagles will not play IU Indy this weekend. Both NC A&T and ETSU will get a shot at IU Indy on Friday (1 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m.). IU Indy made the NCAA Tournament in 2020 and 2022, led by FGCU Athletics Hall of Fame alumna Kate Bruce (2007). FGCU is 5-1 at home and 4-0 in MTE events this season, which includes a "P4" and Big East victory. For the full MTE schedule, visit the FGCU women's basketball schedule page here.
AGGIE PRIDE:
FGCU will face the NC A&T Aggies for just the third time in program history on Friday. The Eagles are 2-0 all-time against the HBCU squad from the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA). Friday will mark the first time the teams have met since 2016. FGCU held the Aggies to under 50 points in both previous wins, soaring to 67-41 and 60-36 victories. NC A&T travels to Fort Myers 2-6 on the year with wins over Winston-Salem State and North Carolina Central. Last season, A&T made the WNIT winning two games and its last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2021. In 2024, the Aggies are 0-4 on the road this season. Jordyn Dorsey averages a team-leading 16.3 points per game for NC A&T. Six-foot-four center and Fort Myers native Chaniya Clark will square off against the hometown Eagles.
ASUN RIVALRY RENEWED:
The Eagles will renew a former Atlantic Sun Conference rivalry with ETSU (7-5) on Saturday. FGCU is 12-2 all-time against the Buccaneers, winning the last 10 meetings. The series dates back to 2008, and Saturday will mark the first meeting since 2014 as ETSU headed for the Southern Conference the following year. During 2007-2010, ETSU won two ASUN regular season titles and three ASUN Tournament Championships, but ETSU has not won in Fort Myers since 2009 and has not made the Dig Dance since 2010. FGCU joined the ASUN in 2007 and was not postseason eligible until the 2011-12 season. Since ETSU's departure, FGCU has won 13 ASUN regular season titles and 10 tournament crowns. Both ETSU and FGCU have only two six-footers listed on the roster. Braylyn Milton leads the way for the Bucs with 12.9 points per game. As a team, ETSU averages 6.8 made threes per game.
MID-MAJOR TOP 25:
FGCU fell to No. 14 overall in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll with its 58-49 loss to Montana State. FGCU is 0-2 this season against teams currently in the Mid-Major Top 25, Columbia and Montana State. Montana State climbed up to No. 17 overall. Monday's loss snapped the nation's second-longest active home win streak as FGCU had won 37 consecutive games at Alico Arena. Monday's defeat also marked the first loss in the head coach Chelsea Lyles era. FGCU remains the only representative from the ASUN in the Top 25.
NOTES FROM FORT MYERS:
In FGCU's three losses this season, the Eagles have held all three opponents to 62 points or less. The 62 points by Columbia continues to mark a season-high defensively. The Green and Blue possess the 11th-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 52.3 points per game.
Offensively, FGCU is 6-0 when the Eagles hit eight or more 3-pointers. Preseason ASUN First Team selection Dolly Cairns leads all Eagles in threes this season with 20, shooting 38.5 percent from behind the arc.
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.
