FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast women's basketball will continue its homestand at 7 p.m. on Veterans Day against Ave Maria.

Tickets are on sale now for the Salute to Service Night contest; fans can join FGCU in honoring and thanking our military members and veterans throughout the game.

The last time out, a quartet of Eagles scored in double digits to lead FGCU to an 89-59 rout of Arkansas State. Cerina Rolle posted 16, Karina Gordon scored 15, Amelia Hobson added a career-high 14 and Lily Zeinstra finished with 12 points. Denika Lightbourne notched a career-high seven assists and Sinai Douglas grabbed ten rebounds. Gordon and Hobson pushed FGCU to 39 bench points in the victory.

The Eagles came out of the gate firing and never looked back. Lightbourne knocked down a 3-pointer two minutes in to put FGCU up 5-3, and the Eagles led for the remainder of the contest. After only hitting three 3-pointers in the season opener at Indiana, FGCU knocked down four triples in the first half, including three from Gordon, the second of which was her 100th career made 3-pointer.

The ball movement was excellent throughout for FGCU, but it elevated in the second half, which saw 15 of the team's 24 assists. Along with Lightbourne's career-best seven dimes, Zeinstra had five and seven Eagles had multiple assists. FGCU took advantage of multiple fast break opportunities, outscoring A-State 25-10 in transition on the afternoon. 

Rolle, Hobson and Zeinstra all had their way near the rim throughout, as the Eagles shot 50% from the field in the win. The trio propelled FGCU to 50 paint points to finish plus-28 in that stat category. The Eagles' defense also returned to its usual ways, holding the Red Wolves to 27.8% shooting from the field and 21.6% shooting from 3-point range while forcing 21 Arkansas State turnovers. 

FGCU's comprehensive victory also featured 53 rebounds, including 40 on the defensive glass. Saturday's win was both the fourth 20-assist and 50-rebound game of the Harmon era.

Ave Maria enters at 1-3 with a win over Fort Lauderdale and losses to Florida National, LSU Shreveport and Xavier (La.). The Gyrenes are led by Ashley Chillson, who averages 25.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, and Mylee Van De Wouw is shooting 50% from 3-point range.

The Gyrenes will make the 40 mile trek to Alico Arena for the ninth all-time game between the two teams. FGCU leads the series 8-0, which has been played each of the last five years. The Eagles' average margin of victory against their NAIA foe is 58.1 points; three of FGCU's 31 all-time 100-point games have come against Ave Maria.
In last year's meeting, Gordon scored a career-high 24 points to go with seven assists, Eve Alexander posted 17, Cerina Rolle had 11 points and Sinai Douglas added 11 points to lead FGCU to a 92-37 win.

Season tickets, mini plans, and single-game tickets for FGCU women's basketball are on sale now. Tickets to see FGCU face Tennessee and either Houston or Creighton during Coconut Hoops at Alico Arena are also on sale now.

For more information on the Eagles, follow FGCU Women's Basketball on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit FGCUAthletics.com.