FORT MYERS, Fla. – Celebrate Azul's birthday with Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball this Saturday as the Eagles face Eastern Kentucky at 2 p.m. at Alico Arena.
Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for the special occasion. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a limited-edition Azul beach towel. Local mascots will also be in attendance to help celebrate Azul turning a year older, including an inflatable fun zone in the Aux Gym.
Tickets start at just $12 for general admission. Eagles fans can create and select their own mini-plan of four or six-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).
FGCU (16-3) secured its ninth straight win Thursday, defeating Bellarmine 80-63. FGCU also stayed perfect in league play at 7-0, improved to 16-1 under head coach Chelsea Lyles and recorded its 40th consecutive victory against Atlantic Sun Conference opponents. The Eagles have won each conference game this season by double-digit margins for an average of 26.6 points. The closest game FGCU has faced in league play has been a 14-point win against West Georgia, and the largest was a 42-point drumming.
Lauryn Taylor registered her fifth double-double performance of the season and her third consecutive in ASUN play on Thursday. Taylor scored the final six points for the Eagles and finished the night with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Her 8.7 rebounds per game ranks second in the ASUN.
Eight different Eagles scored at least six or more points in the win. Alahna Paige pitched in 12, shooting 4-for-9 from behind the arc. As a team, FGCU sank 12 3-pointers, and the Eagles are 13-0 this season when recording eight or more triples.
Sharpshooter Dolly Cairns leads the way for the Eagles in the 3-pointer department, shooting 43 percent from distance which ranks No. 29 in the nation. At the rim, Emani Jefferson has scored double figures in all but one game, shooting 60 percent from the field to average a team-best 13.8 points per game. The preseason ASUN Player of the Year's shooting percentage ranks No. 14 nationally.
Bellarmine scored the most points that the nation's seventh-best scoring defense has surrendered all season, 63. Just one more than the previous season-high in points allowed for FGCU, 62, which came twice against Columbia and West Georgia. FGCU is holding teams to 53.1 points per game. Despite giving up a season-high in points Thursday, FGCU limited the Knights' leading average scorer to eight points. As a team, FGCU has forced 10 or more turnovers in every game this season, forcing more than 20 turnovers in eight contests.
FGCU is 3-1 all-time against EKU. The first meeting between the programs occurred in 2007 and the two teams did not pick the series back up until 2022. The Colonels won the first-ever meeting in Fort Myers, but FGCU has won the last three. FGCU won 82-69 a season ago as Jefferson scored a game-high 22 points. EKU (13-7, 3-4 ASUN) is coming off an 83-68 loss at Stetson on Thursday and is 7-5 on the road. The Colonels have four players averaging double-digit points this season.
The Green and Blue has now earned votes in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll for the third consecutive week. FGCU also improved another two spots in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, climbing back into the top 10 at No. 9 overall. FGCU has not dropped lower than No. 16 this season. FGCU is the lone ASUN representative in both polls.
