Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball was crowned the Atlantic Sun Conference's regular season champion Saturday as
Brylee Bartram shot the Eagles past Queens University of Charlotte 86-60 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"We were off to a little bit of a slow start with their aggressiveness," head coach
Karl Smesko said. "They [Queens] came out and played really well to start the game. Fortunately, Bartram came in and knocked down a bunch of threes in the first half to extend the lead for us. I thought we did a good job defending for the first part of the second half, but give them credit. They kept fighting."
With the win, FGCU won its seventh consecutive ASUN regular season championship and the 14th all-time under coach Smesko. FGCU, winners of 16 straight, completed its final road trip of the regular season Saturday and remains undefeated in league play heading into its final three-game home stand next week. The Green and Blue (23-4, 13-0 ASUN) has yet to taste defeat in 2024. The Eagles extended their conference win streak Saturday to a nation-best 35 consecutive victories against current Atlantic Sun Conference member institutions.
FGCU picked up right where it left off Thursday, hitting 12 3-pointers. The Eagles have produced double-digit threes each of their last three outings and for the 13th time this season.
Queens started the game 4-for-4 from the field to snatch an early 8-5 lead. Bartram soon broke out her Stephen Curry range in Curry Arena, knocking down a team-leading six treys.
By the half, Bartram had exploded for 18 points, connecting on 6-of-9 from distance, to propel FGCU out to a 44-26 lead at the break. Bartram leads the team in made threes this season with 51, shooting 39.8 percent.
The Eagles stretched their advantage to 25 points entering the fourth quarter, 67-42, and would lead by as much as 33 in the period. Offensively, FGCU scored 22 or more points in all but one period Saturday, pushing the transition tempo en route to its 26-point victory.
Three Eagles reached double figures Saturday.
Emani Jefferson and
Uju Ezeudu scored 16 points toward the Eagles' cause. Jefferson corralled a team-leading eight rebounds.
FGCU returns to the nest next Saturday, Feb. 24, to host Stetson at Alico Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
