BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Florida Gulf Coast women's basketball fell 79-50 to Indiana on Tuesday night in its season opener.

Sinai Douglas scored 13 to lead the Eagles, but FGCU struggled from beyond the arc in Bloomington, finishing 3-for-26 from deep. 

The Eagles kept the contest within reach in the second quarter. After taking some time to get going from the field, FGCU scored 13 and its defense held the Hoosiers to 14 points in the period to trail 33-18 at halftime. 

Indiana's offense turned up the pace at the turn of the half, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 11-for-15 from the free throw line while making both of its 3-point attempts in the third quarter. IU pushed its lead to 58-32, and didn't look back. Foul trouble hindered FGCU in its season opener, as Jalei Pillow fouled out, and Douglas and Eve Alexander each finished with four fouls.

The Hoosiers had eight players score at least seven points, led by 13 from Zania Socka-Nguemen, 12 from Alisa Williams and 10 from Lenée Beaumont.

Denika Lightbourne also reached double digits for FGCU with 10 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the free throw line; Lily Zeinstra grabbed a team-high five rebounds and recorded three assists in their respective Eagle debuts. Elle McCulloch and Ari Turla each made their collegiate debuts and scored – McCulloch had four points on a 3-pointer and made a free throw just an hour from her hometown, and Turla knocked down three free throws.

FGCU dropped to 5-10 against Big 10 opponents and 25-41 against power conference foes with the loss. 

Next, FGCU returns to Fort Myers for the home opener at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 against Arkansas State. The game will also be Camp Reunion Day; campers from all 2026 FGCU basketball summer camps can take advantage of group rates and a postgame poster signing with the team.

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.
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