FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball completed the regular season sweep of Stetson Saturday, overpowering the Hatters in the second half for a 68-52 win at Alico Arena.
"We knew we needed to get a good start at the beginning of the second half," head coach
Karl Smesko said. "Stetson played really well. They had a great first half and are extraordinarily well-coached. They were here to play. Fortunately, we had a really good third quarter where we executed, we shared the ball and we knocked down shots."
FGCU's third-quarter surge proved to be the difference in the win. Leading 35-32,
Dolly Cairns drained clutch back-to-back 3-pointers to secure a 41-32 advantage, firing up the Eagle bench and forcing a Stetson timeout. Cairns finished with eight points Saturday.
The ASUN regular season champions outscored the Hatters 21-8 in the third with a resilient defensive-minded effort, turning it into offense to build a 16-point cushion heading into the final period.
With Saturday's victory, FGCU (24-4) extended its win streak to 17 games and is still unblemished in conference play at a perfect 14-0. It has been 440 days since the Eagles last lost at home, winning 27 straight at Alico Arena, and 742 days since FGCU last lost to a current ASUN member. FGCU holds the nation's longest active conference win streak at 36 consecutive games.
The second-place Hatters opened the afternoon with high intensity, earning a six-point lead early (20-14) into the second period. Stetson bested and stunned the Eagles in the opening frame 17-14.
At the 8:08 mark of the second,
Emani Jefferson sank two from the line to reclaim the lead for FGCU, 21-20. The Green and Blue would take a three-point advantage, 33-30, back into the locker room. FGCU has led at the half in 23 of its 28 games this season. The Hatters' first-half offensive production witnessed Stetson shoot 4-of-8 from distance and fire off six more shots than the Eagles.
Uju Ezeudu paced the Eagles' offensive output with her sixth double-double performance of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 boards. Jefferson, a semifinalist for the 2024 Becky Hammon Mid Major Player of the Year Award, provided 14 points.
FGCU returns to the court next Thursday and Saturday for its final two games of the regular season. Saturday, FGCU will honor the careers and contributions of the Eagles' senior class.
