FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball earned a gritty win Saturday over a former Atlantic Sun Conference foe, defeating East Tennesee State 67-54 at Alico Arena.
"We had a few defensive lapses, but overall happy to end the year with a gritty win to prepare us for the conference," first-year head coach Chelsea Lyles said.
The teams met for the first time since 2014 and have a combined 29 ASUN Championships. The now Southern Conference Buccaneers appeared to be little to no match for the Eagles' dynasty, but FGCU (9-3) watched its 16-point lead dwindle down to just five in the fourth quarter.
ETSU (8-6) outscored the Eagles 19-12 in the third and with 8:10 remaining in the final period, had fought back to 55-50. Enter Khamari Mitchell-Steen as FGCU looked to stop the bleeding. Mitchell-Steen stepped up for the Eagles once again and finished off her and-one attempt to give FGCU a decisive eight-point advantage. The feisty Buccaneers would not draw any closer.
Lauryn Taylor and Casey Santoro soon teamed up for the knockout blow at the 3:02 mark. Taylor rejected a floater in the lane, and Santoro drained a three in transition to put the Eagles back up by a comfortable 15-point margin, 67-52. FGCU closed the game on a 12-2 run to clinch its 11th straight victory over ETSU.
In MTE events this season, FGCU posted a perfect 6-0 record. The Eagles went 2-0 at the Atlantic Slam in Canada and 2-0 hosting both the Homewood Suites Classic and the FGCU Classic after spending the entire month of December at home. Both North Carolina A&T and ETSU finished 1-1 in Fort Myers this weekend, while IU Indy went 0-2.
Emani Jefferson scored a team-high 18 points and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. Jefferson finished one rebound shy of a double-double performance. Mitchell-Steen added 11 points after coming off a season-high 22-point outing Friday against NC A&T. Kendall Folley scored a game-high 25 for ETSU.
The Eagles obtained a 39-23 lead at the half, all aided by a 27-point second quarter. FGCU hit seven triples in the first half, but would not connect again until deep in the fourth quarter. The Green and Blue finished with 10 treys Saturday and improved to 8-0 this season when hitting eight or more trifectas.The FGCU bench pitched in 18 points Saturday.
Defensively, FGCU limited ETSU to zero bench points. The Eagles have held 11 of its 12 opponents this season to 58 points or less. The Green and Blue possess one of the nation's best scoring defenses, ranking 10th overall nationally by allowing just 52.3 points per game. In the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, the Eagles checked in at No. 14 overall.
FGCU shifts its focus toward the New Year and ASUN play. The Eagles open conference action at home Thursday, Jan. 2 against Queens University of Charlotte. Tiis scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+
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).
