FORT MYERS, Fla. – Top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball hosts second-seeded Central Arkansas for the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship at Alico Arena. Saturday's tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Eagle fans are encouraged to wear green. The first 250 students in attendance for Saturday's championship will receive a swag pack. All students who claim and scan a mobile ticket will be entered to win two tickets to the Women's Final Four. Don't miss your last opportunity to witness another title at Alico Arena, as the 2026 ASUN Tournament is heading to Jacksonville and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. FGCU rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit against EKU on Tuesday to advance to the title game.
FGCU will be making its 14th straight appearance in the title game and is seeking its ninth straight title, the first under head coach Chelsea Lyles. The Eagles have won 11 of 13 ASUN titles since 2012 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012. FGCU is 38-2 all-time in the tournament and has raised the trophy yearly since 2017, winning 25 straight postseason games. The Eagles' last loss in the tournament occurred in the 2016 title game to Jacksonville. FGCU's only two losses in the tournament have come in the championship game, 2016 and 2013.
FGCU (29-3, 18-0) defeated Central Arkansas 95-71 in a championship preview back on Feb. 20 in Conway, Arkansas, and also defeated the Sugar Bears in the 2024 title game. FGCU hit 10 threes in the statement game in February and scored 35 points in the opening quarter. The Sugar Bears never recovered from the Eagles' hot start. The ASUN Player of the Year, Emani Jefferson, dropped a game-high 20 points for the undefeated Eagles. Lauryn Taylor is 32 points away from 2,000 career points.
The Eagles are one win away from their 30th victory of the season. FGCU is just one of 18 programs to record 30 or more wins in a single season over the last five years. The Eagles have reached the mark not once but three times during that span. Only South Carolina has more with four. Only FGCU and UConn have won 25 or more games over the last 15 seasons.
FGCU has also made 300 or more threes each season for the last 15 years. Sitting at 279, FGCU is 21 threes away from keeping the streak alive for another year. FGCU is averaging 8.7 threes per game, ranking No. 20 in the country in the category.
FGCU IN THE POLLS:
#6 in CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
RV (5) in USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll
