The FGCU women's basketball team (20-3, 6-0 A-SUN) prepare for a two-game road trip in Jacksonville as they play UNF (9-12, 2-4 A-SUN) and JU (15-6, 5-1 A-SUN) for conference play.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles faced JU in a previous game at home. The Eagles won the game 63-58 to continue their 10-game winning streak. The Eagles still maintain sole possession of first place in the A-SUN.
The Top 25:
On January 30, FGCU placed at #25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. This was the first time since April 6, 2015 that FGCU was ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The Eagles also remain #1 in the CollegeInsider.com and ESPNW mid-major polls.
Key Player(s):
The players to look at for FGCU are Seniors Rose Julien and Erica Nelson, redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan and sophomore Tytionia Adderly.
Julien leads the way scoring 12.8 points per game and leads the team in free throw percentage (85%). Julien had 11 points against JU and was 6-for-7 at the free throw line.
Nelson is averaging 9.1 points per game and ties for first in assists per game (2.8). Nelson had 14 points and one assist against JU and was 9-for-10 at the free throw line.
Grandijan is averaging 10 points per game and third on the team in rebounds per game (3.5). Grandijan had seven points against JU. Grandijan currently has 1,115 career points and is 21 points away from surpassing current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time. Grandijan is also 26 three's away from surpassing WNBA player Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers.
Adderly was held to only two points and one defensive rebound against JU as she did not return in the game due to an injury. Adderly is averaging seven points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Bench Role Sparks:
Redshirt seniors China Dow and Jessica Cattani and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka continue providing sparks off the bench.
Dow is averaging 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The Louisville native scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds as she filled in for Adderly for the remainder of the game against JU.
Cattani only played three minutes against JU, but is averaging seven points per game.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.1 points per game and is tied with Nelson in assists per game (2.8). The Houston Baptist transfer and Vienna, Austria native scored four points and dished four assists.
Adderly vs Grandijan, The Rebound Bout:
In a battle of career rebounds, the "bout" has between two players: Grandijan and Adderly.
While Adderly currently leads the team in rebounds per game (8.4) and total rebounds (193), Grandijan is third in rebounds per game (3.5) and fourth in total rebounds (77). It has been a battle of crashing the boards for both players.
Grandijan currently sits sixth all-time in career rebounds (458) while Adderly is seventh (448).
Both players are in tact to surpass Kaneisha Atwater (508) in career rebounds.
Offensive Board Outcomes:
Adderly currently has 91 offensive rebounds this season and is also seventh all-time in career offensive rebounds (185) while remaining two away from surpassing Atwater (186) for sixth all-time. More than likely, the Jupiter native will surpass Katie Meador (193; fifth all-time) and Kate Schrader (194; fourth all-time).
There is a possibility that Adderly could surpass Robyn Swain (236; third all-time) and Adrianne McNally (240; second all-time) by the end of the season, but it is a stretch for her to surpass Sarah Hansen (329) for all-time leader in career offensive rebounds at the end of the season.
Scouting UNF:
The Osprey recently competed against Stetson in a losing fashion (55-68) and are currently in fifth place in conference.
Redshirt senior Keonna Farmer leads the Osprey offensively. Farmer is averaging 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and leads the team in steals (55). The UAB transfer had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds and four steals against Stetson.
Redshirt senior Tesh Hanson is averaging 11.4 points per game and leads the team in blocks (14). The Liberty University transfer had seven points and six rebounds against Stetson.
Series History:
The Eagles are 21-2 against the Osprey. Last series between the two teams, the Eagles swept the series winning 68-51 at UNF and 69-46 at FGCU during the season and eliminated the Osprey in the A-SUN Conference Tournament Quarterfinals winning 59-42. The Osprey's last win was on February 13, 2010 where UNF won 57-56.
The Eagles play UNF on Thursday, February 1 at 7 pm on ESPN 3
Links for game:
http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3273160/florida-gulf-coast-vs-north-florida-w-basketball
About Me
FGCU W Golf: Women's Mid-American Match Play Challenge Preview
After a long winter break, the FGCU women's golf team return to action as they play in the 5th annual Women's Mid-American Match Play Challenge in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, hosted by Bowling Green State. The 72 hole tournament will run from February 5th-6th with various tee times in the morning.
Along with FGCU and host BGSU, the following teams are listed as noted for participation in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge and their seedings:
#1 Kent State
#3 Northern Illinois
#4 Akron
#5 Western Michigan
#7 Ohio
#8 UNC Asheville
#9 Eastern Michigan
#10 Dayton
#11 Central Michigan
#12 Purdue-Fort Wayne
The Eagles are the #2 seed in the tournament while host BGSU is the #6 seed.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles last competed in the USF Intercollegiate, where they finished 8th out of 14 teams that participated behind conference rival Stetson (T-6th), but ahead of host USF's "A" Team.
Along with FGCU and host BGSU, the following teams are listed as noted for participation in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge and their seedings:
#1 Kent State
#3 Northern Illinois
#4 Akron
#5 Western Michigan
#7 Ohio
#8 UNC Asheville
#9 Eastern Michigan
#10 Dayton
#11 Central Michigan
#12 Purdue-Fort Wayne
The Eagles are the #2 seed in the tournament while host BGSU is the #6 seed.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles last competed in the USF Intercollegiate, where they finished 8th out of 14 teams that participated behind conference rival Stetson (T-6th), but ahead of host USF's "A" Team.
Junior Madeline Marck-Sherk finished tied for 9th place with round score of 230 (79-74-77) (+17), thus finishing in the top 10.
Both sophomore Kate Williamson and freshman Natalia Nassar tied for 28th place with a score of 236 (Williamson: 80-79-77, Nassar: 81-73-82).
Senior Madison Easterbrook competed as an individual finishing tied for 38th with a score of 242 (76-86-80) (+29).
Junior Kelsy Holbert and sophomore Alisa Clark finished tied for 42nd (Holbert 84-83-77-244: +31) and 46th (Clark - 81-79-85-245: +32) respectively.
Eagles History in MMPC:
This will be the third time that the Eagles will be competing in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge. The first time was on February 8-9, 2016, where they entered as the #11 seed. They would upset #6 seed Central Michigan 5-0 before falling #3 seed Akron 3-1-1 in the quarterfinals. The Eagles would claim fifth after upsetting #5 seed Western Michigan 3-1-1 in the consolation bracket before claiming 5th place with a 2-2-1 win over #7 seed Bowling Green. The eventual winner was Kent State.
On February 13-14, 2017, the Eagles beat Ft. Wayne 5-0 in the first round and Eastern Michigan 4-0-1 in the quarterfinals on the 13th before finishing with a 3-1-1 loss to eventual winner Lamar in the semifinals before beating Oakland 4-1-0 in the final round of holes for a third place finish.
This will be the third time that the Eagles will be competing in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge. The first time was on February 8-9, 2016, where they entered as the #11 seed. They would upset #6 seed Central Michigan 5-0 before falling #3 seed Akron 3-1-1 in the quarterfinals. The Eagles would claim fifth after upsetting #5 seed Western Michigan 3-1-1 in the consolation bracket before claiming 5th place with a 2-2-1 win over #7 seed Bowling Green. The eventual winner was Kent State.
On February 13-14, 2017, the Eagles beat Ft. Wayne 5-0 in the first round and Eastern Michigan 4-0-1 in the quarterfinals on the 13th before finishing with a 3-1-1 loss to eventual winner Lamar in the semifinals before beating Oakland 4-1-0 in the final round of holes for a third place finish.
Scouting BGSU:
The Falcons, who are the host of the tournament, recently competed in Dayton Flyer Invitational hosted by Dayton University. They finished third out of 15 teams. Juniors Erin Fahey and Julia Durkin lead the Falcons individually as they both finished tied for 16th place with a final score of 151 each.
The Falcons, who are the host of the tournament, recently competed in Dayton Flyer Invitational hosted by Dayton University. They finished third out of 15 teams. Juniors Erin Fahey and Julia Durkin lead the Falcons individually as they both finished tied for 16th place with a final score of 151 each.
Falcons Series History in MMPC:
This will be the fifth season that the Falcons will host the tournament. Last season, the Falcons went 2-1 in the tournament. After falling 0-5 to Ohio, BGSU earned wins against Central Michigan (3-2) and Dayton (3-1-1).
This will be the fifth season that the Falcons will host the tournament. Last season, the Falcons went 2-1 in the tournament. After falling 0-5 to Ohio, BGSU earned wins against Central Michigan (3-2) and Dayton (3-1-1).
Scouting Kent State:
The Golden Flashes are coming off a fourth place finish in the Cardinal Cup hosted by Louisville on October 22-24, 2017.
Sophomore Pimnipa Panthong tied for fourth place finishing with a final score of 221 (74-73-74) and a 5-over-par. Junior Michaela Finn (74-70-81) and freshman Kory Nielsen (71-72-82) finished with a final score of 225 and tied for 19th place with a 9-over-par each.
The Golden Flashes are coming off a fourth place finish in the Cardinal Cup hosted by Louisville on October 22-24, 2017.
Sophomore Pimnipa Panthong tied for fourth place finishing with a final score of 221 (74-73-74) and a 5-over-par. Junior Michaela Finn (74-70-81) and freshman Kory Nielsen (71-72-82) finished with a final score of 225 and tied for 19th place with a 9-over-par each.
Golden Flashes Match History in MMPC:
Kent State will be competing for the second time in the MAPC. They first played on February 8-9, 2016. With a first round bye, they defeated Oakland 5-0 in the quarterfinals, Northern Illinois 3-2 in the semifinals and Eastern Michigan 4-1 in the finals.
Kent State will be competing for the second time in the MAPC. They first played on February 8-9, 2016. With a first round bye, they defeated Oakland 5-0 in the quarterfinals, Northern Illinois 3-2 in the semifinals and Eastern Michigan 4-1 in the finals.
Scouting Northrn Illinois:
The Huskies are coming off of a 9th place finish in the UC Irvine Invitational on October 30-31, 2017.
Junior Kelly Anderson tied for 21st with a final score of 225 with a 9-over-par. Classmate Brielle Ward joined Anderson in the top 25 as she finished with a 226 and a 10-over-par.
The Huskies are coming off of a 9th place finish in the UC Irvine Invitational on October 30-31, 2017.
Junior Kelly Anderson tied for 21st with a final score of 225 with a 9-over-par. Classmate Brielle Ward joined Anderson in the top 25 as she finished with a 226 and a 10-over-par.
Huskies Match History in MMPC:
This will be the sixth straight year for Northern Illinois to compete in the MAPC. Last season, the Huskies finished 6th in the MAPC.
This will be the sixth straight year for Northern Illinois to compete in the MAPC. Last season, the Huskies finished 6th in the MAPC.
Scouting Akron:
The Zips are coming off of a 14th place finish in the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational hosted by Kentucky on October 6-7, 2017 to end their fall season.
Freshman Jacinta Pikunas led Akron's scoring in the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. Pikunas finished tied for 22nd with a final score of 234 and a 18-over-par. She was the only Zip to reach the top 25.
The Zips are coming off of a 14th place finish in the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational hosted by Kentucky on October 6-7, 2017 to end their fall season.
Freshman Jacinta Pikunas led Akron's scoring in the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. Pikunas finished tied for 22nd with a final score of 234 and a 18-over-par. She was the only Zip to reach the top 25.
Zips Match History in MMPC:
This will be the fifth straight season that the Zips competed in the MAPC. Last season, the Zips were named the runner-up. After receiving a first round bye, the Zips deafted NIU in the quarterfinals and Oakland in the semifinals before losing the final matchup 5-0 to Lamar.
This will be the fifth straight season that the Zips competed in the MAPC. Last season, the Zips were named the runner-up. After receiving a first round bye, the Zips deafted NIU in the quarterfinals and Oakland in the semifinals before losing the final matchup 5-0 to Lamar.
Scouting Western Michigan:
The Broncos recently competed in the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational on October 9-10, 2017, hosted by fellow MAC member Eastern Michigan. The Broncos would finish in third behind runner-up BGSU and eventual winner Marshall.
Senior Julia Champion claimed first place in the tournament after scoring 218 and a two-over-par. The Markham, Ontario native was named MAC Golfer of the Week prior to the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational. Sophomore Jasmine Chee and freshman Megan Watkins also finished in the top 25. Chee finished 16th with a final score of 230 and a 14-over-par while Watkins finished tied for 24th score with a final of 236 and a 20-over-par.
Senior Julia Champion claimed first place in the tournament after scoring 218 and a two-over-par. The Markham, Ontario native was named MAC Golfer of the Week prior to the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational. Sophomore Jasmine Chee and freshman Megan Watkins also finished in the top 25. Chee finished 16th with a final score of 230 and a 14-over-par while Watkins finished tied for 24th score with a final of 236 and a 20-over-par.
Broncos Match History in MMPC:
Last time in the MMPC, the Broncos finished in 5th place. After receiving a first round bye, they would fall to Oakland in the quarterfinals before Ohio in the consolation bracket and Northern Illinois in the 5th place match to claim 5th place.
Last time in the MMPC, the Broncos finished in 5th place. After receiving a first round bye, they would fall to Oakland in the quarterfinals before Ohio in the consolation bracket and Northern Illinois in the 5th place match to claim 5th place.
Scouting Ohio:
Just like Western Michigan, the Bobcats also competed in the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational on October 9-10, 2017, hosted by fellow MAC member Eastern Michigan. the Bobcats finished in sixth place.
Senior Lily Pendy lead the Bobcats as she finished tied for 12th place with a final score of 225 and a 13-over-par. Junior Nicole Smiley and sophomore Marissa Balish joined Pendy in the top 25. Smiley finished tied for 21st with a 235 and a 19-over-par while Balish finished tied for 24th with a 236 and a 20-over-par.
Just like Western Michigan, the Bobcats also competed in the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational on October 9-10, 2017, hosted by fellow MAC member Eastern Michigan. the Bobcats finished in sixth place.
Senior Lily Pendy lead the Bobcats as she finished tied for 12th place with a final score of 225 and a 13-over-par. Junior Nicole Smiley and sophomore Marissa Balish joined Pendy in the top 25. Smiley finished tied for 21st with a 235 and a 19-over-par while Balish finished tied for 24th with a 236 and a 20-over-par.
Bobcats Match History in MMPC:
The Bobcats finished 8th last time in the MMPC defeating BGSU in the first before falling to Lamar in the quarterfinals and Eastern Michigan in the 7th place consolation match.
The Bobcats finished 8th last time in the MMPC defeating BGSU in the first before falling to Lamar in the quarterfinals and Eastern Michigan in the 7th place consolation match.
Scouting UNC Asheville:
The Bulldogs are coming off of a sixth place finish at the Winthrop Intercollegiate, hosted by Winthrop University on October 21-22, 2017. This will be the first time the Bulldogs will compete in the MMPC.
Freshman Taylor Hinson lead the Bulldogs with a 9th place finish with a final score of 151 and a 7-over-par. Sophomore Janie Thomas joined Hinson in the top 25 as she finished tied for 11th with a final score of 155 and 11-over-par.
Scouting EMU:
The Eastern Michigan Eagles played in Bradenton earlier as they recently competed in the Pat Bradley Invitational hosted by FIU on October 22-23, 2017 where they finished tied for 13th with Morehead State out of 15 teams.
Sophomore Katelin Lawson had the highest finish as she finished 31st with a final score of 227 and a 11-over-par.
The Bulldogs are coming off of a sixth place finish at the Winthrop Intercollegiate, hosted by Winthrop University on October 21-22, 2017. This will be the first time the Bulldogs will compete in the MMPC.
Freshman Taylor Hinson lead the Bulldogs with a 9th place finish with a final score of 151 and a 7-over-par. Sophomore Janie Thomas joined Hinson in the top 25 as she finished tied for 11th with a final score of 155 and 11-over-par.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles played in Bradenton earlier as they recently competed in the Pat Bradley Invitational hosted by FIU on October 22-23, 2017 where they finished tied for 13th with Morehead State out of 15 teams.
Sophomore Katelin Lawson had the highest finish as she finished 31st with a final score of 227 and a 11-over-par.
EMU Match History in MMPC:
Scouting Purdue-Ft Wayne:
The Mastodons are coming off of a one round matchup at the Charles Braun Jr. Intercollegiate, hosted by Evansville on October 24, 2017. The Mastodons finished in 6th place out of 13 teams.
Senior Madison Chesnutt lead the Mastodons in the Intercollegiate as she finished tied for 16th with a 79.
Fellow senior Monica Dorner joined Chesnutt in the top 25 as she finished tied for 18th with a 80.
This will be the fourth time EMU will competed in the MMPC. Last season, EMU finished seventh in the MMPC. After receiving a first round bye, EMU fell to FGCU in the quarterfinals and NIU in the Consolation bracket before defeating Ohio in the 7th place consolation match.
Scouting Dayton:
The Flyers recently competed and hosted the Dayton Flyer Invitational on October 16-17, 2017, finishing 7th out of 15 teams. The eventual winner of the tournament was NCAA DII Findlay.
Sophomore Ellie Cronin lead the team with as she tied for first place with IUPUI's Aneta Abrahamova and Western Illinois' Bridget Connolly with a final score of 145 and a five-over-par.
The Flyers recently competed and hosted the Dayton Flyer Invitational on October 16-17, 2017, finishing 7th out of 15 teams. The eventual winner of the tournament was NCAA DII Findlay.
Sophomore Ellie Cronin lead the team with as she tied for first place with IUPUI's Aneta Abrahamova and Western Illinois' Bridget Connolly with a final score of 145 and a five-over-par.
Flyers Match History in MMPC:
The Flyers went 0-3 in the MMPC, losing to Northern Illinois in the first round, Ft. Wayne in the quarterfinals, and BGSU in the semifinals last season. This will be the third time they will compete in the MMPC.
Scouting Central Michigan:
The Chippewas finished in 9th place at the Dayton Invitational, hosted by the University of Dayton, on October 16-17, 2017.
Sophomore Jami Laude finished tied for 4th after shooting a seven-over-par with a final score of 147. She was the only Chippewa to finish in the top 25.
Chippewas Match History in MMPC:
Last season, the Chippewas went 0-3 in the MMPC after losing to Oakland, host Bowling Green and Ft. Wayne.
Last season, the Chippewas went 0-3 in the MMPC after losing to Oakland, host Bowling Green and Ft. Wayne.
The Mastodons are coming off of a one round matchup at the Charles Braun Jr. Intercollegiate, hosted by Evansville on October 24, 2017. The Mastodons finished in 6th place out of 13 teams.
Senior Madison Chesnutt lead the Mastodons in the Intercollegiate as she finished tied for 16th with a 79.
Fellow senior Monica Dorner joined Chesnutt in the top 25 as she finished tied for 18th with a 80.
Mastodons Match History in MMPC:
Overall, the Mastodons are 3-6 overall in the MMPC. Last time out, the Mastodons fell to FGCU before earning wins over Dayton and Central Michigan.
Since they are the No. 2 seed for the Mid-American Match Play Challenge, FGCU will have a first round bye where they will await the winner between Ohio and Dayton in the quarterfinals. The golfers that are going to represent FGCU are Marck-Sherk, Nassar, Easterbrook, Holbert and redshirt junior Ashley Kimbrough.
The matches can be followed on the link below:
http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=13411
Overall, the Mastodons are 3-6 overall in the MMPC. Last time out, the Mastodons fell to FGCU before earning wins over Dayton and Central Michigan.
Since they are the No. 2 seed for the Mid-American Match Play Challenge, FGCU will have a first round bye where they will await the winner between Ohio and Dayton in the quarterfinals. The golfers that are going to represent FGCU are Marck-Sherk, Nassar, Easterbrook, Holbert and redshirt junior Ashley Kimbrough.
The matches can be followed on the link below:
http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=13411
FGCU MBB vs UNF Recap
The FGCU men's basketball team continued its dominance as they took on UNF in a rematch. The Eagles beat the Ospreys earlier in the season winning by a score 96-87 at UNF. It would not make much difference as the Eagles (17-8, 8-0 A-SUN) clipped the wings of the Ospreys (10-15, 4-4 A-SUN) with a blowout score of 103-70. With the win, the Eagles remain in sole possession of first place in the A-SUN and are now on a 10-game winning streak.
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson lead the way scoring-wise. The current A-SUN Player of the Week had 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
Redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Junior Dinero Mercurius had eight points (3-for-5 FG, 2-for-2 3FG), five rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Getting his second start with FGCU, redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had four points, two rebounds and one steal.
The player that stole the show was redshirt junior Michael Gilmore. Gilmore finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Gilmore also added three assists, two blocks and one steal.
Off the bench, nine players contributed to the game. Senior Christian Terrell had 13 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-3 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), two rebounds and three assists.
Coming back from concussion protocol, sophomore RaySean Scott Jr. came back with 12 points (6-for-9 FG), two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Senior Antravious Simmons had 10 points and four rebounds.
Freshman Brian Thomas had eight points, two rebounds and one steal.
Redshirt senior Josh Ko had three points and two rebounds.
Freshman Ryan McAdoo scored two points.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle contributed with two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Freshman Darnell Rogers contributed with one assist.
Junior Dolan Mahoney also got into the game.
For the Ospreys, sophomore Noah Horchler had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Horchler also added two assists.
Sophomore Ivan Gandia-Rosa had 11 points, two rebounds and seven assists.
Sophomore Garrett Sams had eight points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Sophomore Wajid Aminu had seven points, three assists and one steal.
Redshirt sophomore J.T. Escobar had six points and one steal.
Off the UNF bench, three players contributed to the game: freshman Trip Day (11 points, two rebounds, two assists, redshirt senior Osborn Blount (11 points, one rebound, two assists) and freshman Brian Coffey II (one rebound).
The crowd of fans and students wearing white for the whiteout in the Alico Arena was phenomenal. Members of the Tri-Delta sorority and of the Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Chi and Kappa Alpha fraternities were in attendance for the game as part of the FGCU Greek Life Spirit Cup Challenge.
Up next, the Eagles go on another three-game road trip as they travel to JU (February 3), NJIT (February 8) and USC Upstate (February 10).
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson lead the way scoring-wise. The current A-SUN Player of the Week had 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
Redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Junior Dinero Mercurius had eight points (3-for-5 FG, 2-for-2 3FG), five rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Getting his second start with FGCU, redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had four points, two rebounds and one steal.
The player that stole the show was redshirt junior Michael Gilmore. Gilmore finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Gilmore also added three assists, two blocks and one steal.
Off the bench, nine players contributed to the game. Senior Christian Terrell had 13 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-3 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), two rebounds and three assists.
Coming back from concussion protocol, sophomore RaySean Scott Jr. came back with 12 points (6-for-9 FG), two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Senior Antravious Simmons had 10 points and four rebounds.
Freshman Brian Thomas had eight points, two rebounds and one steal.
Redshirt senior Josh Ko had three points and two rebounds.
Freshman Ryan McAdoo scored two points.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle contributed with two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Freshman Darnell Rogers contributed with one assist.
Junior Dolan Mahoney also got into the game.
For the Ospreys, sophomore Noah Horchler had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Horchler also added two assists.
Sophomore Ivan Gandia-Rosa had 11 points, two rebounds and seven assists.
Sophomore Garrett Sams had eight points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Sophomore Wajid Aminu had seven points, three assists and one steal.
Redshirt sophomore J.T. Escobar had six points and one steal.
Off the UNF bench, three players contributed to the game: freshman Trip Day (11 points, two rebounds, two assists, redshirt senior Osborn Blount (11 points, one rebound, two assists) and freshman Brian Coffey II (one rebound).
The crowd of fans and students wearing white for the whiteout in the Alico Arena was phenomenal. Members of the Tri-Delta sorority and of the Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Chi and Kappa Alpha fraternities were in attendance for the game as part of the FGCU Greek Life Spirit Cup Challenge.
Up next, the Eagles go on another three-game road trip as they travel to JU (February 3), NJIT (February 8) and USC Upstate (February 10).
FGCU WTEN vs FIU Preview
Playing only one match so far for the season, the FGCU women's tennis team prepares to open their home part of the season as they welcome FIU for their first home match of the season.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles (1-0) opened their season on the road as they faced FAU in Boca where they won 4-3. In the beginning, the Eagles lost the doubles points and two singles match before winning the last four singles matches in a row. With the win, the Eagles are 6-4 overall against the Owls.
Eagle Debuts:
Two new players made their season debuts for FGCU: Patricia "Patri" Villar and Madison Gallegos.
Villar, a junior transfer from the University of Louisiana-Monroe played on No. 6 singles against FAU's Jennifer Lieb as the Longrono, Spain native beat Lieb 6-3, 7-6.
Gallegos, the lone freshman on the team, was the saving grace for the Eagles against FAU. The Denver native debuted on No. 5 singles facing Jemi Aguilar. Gallegos fought Agular in a hard fought three-set match. In the end, Gallegos won 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to secure FGCU's first win of the season.
Key Players:
Aside from Villar and Gallegos who made their debuts, other players from FGCU to look for include sophomores Maja Ornberg and Sofia Perez.
Ornberg, who primarily plays at No. 1 singles, played the No. 2 singles position against FAU. A native of Kil, Sweden, the former A-SUN Freshman of the Year faced Natalia Boltinskaya and won 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 2 singles spot.
A native of Costa Rica, Perez went 4-1 overall in singles competition last year when she joined FGCU in the 2017 spring semester. Playing at No. 3 singles, Perez faced Kristen Thoms with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Schedule Change:
Originally, the Eagles were suppose to face Bethune-Cookman before facing FIU, but the matchup was cancelled.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers (2-1) recently competed in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. They would lose to Wichita State 2-4 before beating Saint Mary's College 4-2.
Senior Andrea Lazaro, who is ranked as the #3 player in the nation, is currently 2-1 in singles, primarily at the No.1 position, and 3-2 in doubles. Lazaro, a native of Barcelona, Spain, lost 1-6, 2-6 to Fatima Bizhukova of Wichita and beat Mariia Kozryeva of Saint Mary's with a score of 6-4, 6-2.
Freshman Sandra Bozinovic is currently 3-0 in singles. A native of Mulhouse, France, Bozinovic beat Wichita's Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva 6-4, 6-4 and SMC's Emma Critser 6-4, 6-3.
Series History:
FGCU is 1-5 against FIU overall. Last matchup, FGCU lost 0-7 to FIU, who was ranked #38 at the time. The Eagles' lone win against the Panthers was on January 16, 2013 in which the score was 4-3.
The match will be on Sunday, February 4 at 2 pm.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles (1-0) opened their season on the road as they faced FAU in Boca where they won 4-3. In the beginning, the Eagles lost the doubles points and two singles match before winning the last four singles matches in a row. With the win, the Eagles are 6-4 overall against the Owls.
Eagle Debuts:
Two new players made their season debuts for FGCU: Patricia "Patri" Villar and Madison Gallegos.
Villar, a junior transfer from the University of Louisiana-Monroe played on No. 6 singles against FAU's Jennifer Lieb as the Longrono, Spain native beat Lieb 6-3, 7-6.
Gallegos, the lone freshman on the team, was the saving grace for the Eagles against FAU. The Denver native debuted on No. 5 singles facing Jemi Aguilar. Gallegos fought Agular in a hard fought three-set match. In the end, Gallegos won 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to secure FGCU's first win of the season.
Key Players:
Aside from Villar and Gallegos who made their debuts, other players from FGCU to look for include sophomores Maja Ornberg and Sofia Perez.
Ornberg, who primarily plays at No. 1 singles, played the No. 2 singles position against FAU. A native of Kil, Sweden, the former A-SUN Freshman of the Year faced Natalia Boltinskaya and won 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 2 singles spot.
A native of Costa Rica, Perez went 4-1 overall in singles competition last year when she joined FGCU in the 2017 spring semester. Playing at No. 3 singles, Perez faced Kristen Thoms with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Schedule Change:
Originally, the Eagles were suppose to face Bethune-Cookman before facing FIU, but the matchup was cancelled.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers (2-1) recently competed in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. They would lose to Wichita State 2-4 before beating Saint Mary's College 4-2.
Senior Andrea Lazaro, who is ranked as the #3 player in the nation, is currently 2-1 in singles, primarily at the No.1 position, and 3-2 in doubles. Lazaro, a native of Barcelona, Spain, lost 1-6, 2-6 to Fatima Bizhukova of Wichita and beat Mariia Kozryeva of Saint Mary's with a score of 6-4, 6-2.
Freshman Sandra Bozinovic is currently 3-0 in singles. A native of Mulhouse, France, Bozinovic beat Wichita's Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva 6-4, 6-4 and SMC's Emma Critser 6-4, 6-3.
Series History:
FGCU is 1-5 against FIU overall. Last matchup, FGCU lost 0-7 to FIU, who was ranked #38 at the time. The Eagles' lone win against the Panthers was on January 16, 2013 in which the score was 4-3.
The match will be on Sunday, February 4 at 2 pm.
FGCU Basketball vs JU Recap
In a battle of the first in the A-SUN Conference, both the FGCU men's and women's basketball teams were taken to the limits against Jacksonville (JU) for conference play at FGCU.
In the women's game, both FGCU and JU were tied for first place in conference. Going back and forth between the two teams, the Eagles (20-3, 6-0 A-SUN) managed to come out on top and beat the Dolphins (15-6, 5-1 A-SUN) by a score of 63-58.
"It was a very tough game. It was probably the most physical game we've played all season," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "I thought Jacksonville played with a lot of energy. They played very physical. We got fortunate that some of their best players got in foul trouble, and we got fortunate that they missed some foul shots down the stretch. But, we feel really good about beating a good team. Despite getting beat on the boards, we found a way to compensate and get the win."
Before the women's basketball game began, five cheerleaders and two FGCU Dancing E'Gals were recognized for their senior day.
Leading the way offensively for the Eagles was senior Erica Nelson. Nelson finished with 14 points (2-6 FG, 1-2 3FG, 9-10 FT), three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Sophomore Nas Ulel had 13 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, 1-3 FT), two rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.
Senior Rose Julien had 11 points, five rebounds and one assist. Julien was 6-7 at the free throw line.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly was held to two points and one defensive as the Jupiter native only played five minutes in the first quarter and did not return due to an injury. Adderly has 448 career rebounds and remains eighth all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had seven points, six rebounds and one steal. With her seven points, Grandijan has 1,115 and is 21 away from surpassing current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points. In addition, Grandijan's six rebounds puts her at 458 career rebounds and is 51 away from surpassing Kaneisha Atwater for sixth all-time and is tied with Katie Meador for third all-time in career games played (135).
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow had 12 points and four rebounds while redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"I thought both teams played their hearts out, both teams wanted to win the game and unfortunately, someone had to lose and we were at that end this time," stated Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "There were some key moments in the game that I felt we didn't capitalize on and some key possessions that we'll be able to watch film on and be ready for when they come to our place."
"Florida Gulf Coast did their job, they protected their home floor. Now we need to do our job when they come to our place and go from there. That's going to be the focus; we'll learn from this. We have to move on to the next game, exude toughness, and protect home court."
For the Dolphins, senior Naqaiyyah Teague led the way with 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Teague did get a technical foul in the game.
Junior Lindsay John had 10 points, one rebound and one assist.
Senior Brandi Buie had nine points, five rebounds and one steal.
Senior Kayla Gordon had six points, 13 rebounds and two steals.
Junior Jasmyn Brown was held to four points and three rebounds.
Off the bench, four players contributed for the Dolphins: sophomore Alexis Burns (five points, one rebound, one assist), redshirt sophomore Shalonda Neely (four points, two rebounds, one steal), redshirt junior La'Karis Salter (three points) and redshirt junior Shakayla Nevitt (two points, six rebounds, two blocks).
With the win, the Eagles are on a 10-game winning streak, 21-3 overall against JU and are in sole possession of first place.
Fast forward to the men's game. The Eagles (16-8, 7-0 A-SUN) managed to beat the Dolphins (11-13, 5-2 A-SUN) by a score of 68-62.
"It wasn't pretty, and we were very streaky, but our defense bailed us out tonight. We got some timely stops," stated FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "But give JU credit; they switched and did some things defensively which put us in harm's way. The ball stuck for us tonight and that hurt us offensively, but our defense got stops late when it mattered most."
Leading the way for the Eagles was the duo of redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Zach Johnson. Goodwin had 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals while Johnson finished with 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and three steals.
Junior Dinero Mercurius had six points and three rebounds.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore finished with six points and 10 rebounds.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons contributed with two rebounds and one assist.
Off the bench, senior Christian Terrell had 11 points and two rebounds.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had seven points and four rebounds.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle had two points, six rebounds and one assist.
Freshman Brian Thomas had two points, seven rebounds and one block.
"I thought we were able to do some good things in the second half, but as the game wore on, our inability to keep [the ball] in front just killed us," said Head Coach Tony Jasick
For the Dolphins, junior Jace Hogan had 23 points (10-16 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and one assist.
Freshman JD Notae had 15 points, three rebounds and one steal.
Senior Antwon Clayton had nine points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Redshirt senior Devin Harris had seven points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Freshman Jalyn Hinton had six points, three rebounds and two steals.
Off the bench, three players contributed for the Dolphins: sophomore Tanner Rubio (two points, one rebound, one assist), redshirt senior Cody Helgeland (two rebound, two steals) and junior Radwan Bakkali (two rebounds).
"We're awfully close, but we're light years away if we won't commit to guarding the basketball," said Jasick.
With the win, the Eagles are on a nine-game winning streak.
Up next for both teams, the men's team will play UNF at home on Monday, January 29 at 7 pm where it will be a white out.
For the women, they will be on another two-game road trip in Jacksonville as they play UNF on Thursday, February 1 at UNF and a rematch against Jacksonville at JU.
In the women's game, both FGCU and JU were tied for first place in conference. Going back and forth between the two teams, the Eagles (20-3, 6-0 A-SUN) managed to come out on top and beat the Dolphins (15-6, 5-1 A-SUN) by a score of 63-58.
"It was a very tough game. It was probably the most physical game we've played all season," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "I thought Jacksonville played with a lot of energy. They played very physical. We got fortunate that some of their best players got in foul trouble, and we got fortunate that they missed some foul shots down the stretch. But, we feel really good about beating a good team. Despite getting beat on the boards, we found a way to compensate and get the win."
Before the women's basketball game began, five cheerleaders and two FGCU Dancing E'Gals were recognized for their senior day.
Leading the way offensively for the Eagles was senior Erica Nelson. Nelson finished with 14 points (2-6 FG, 1-2 3FG, 9-10 FT), three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Sophomore Nas Ulel had 13 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, 1-3 FT), two rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.
Senior Rose Julien had 11 points, five rebounds and one assist. Julien was 6-7 at the free throw line.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly was held to two points and one defensive as the Jupiter native only played five minutes in the first quarter and did not return due to an injury. Adderly has 448 career rebounds and remains eighth all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had seven points, six rebounds and one steal. With her seven points, Grandijan has 1,115 and is 21 away from surpassing current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points. In addition, Grandijan's six rebounds puts her at 458 career rebounds and is 51 away from surpassing Kaneisha Atwater for sixth all-time and is tied with Katie Meador for third all-time in career games played (135).
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow had 12 points and four rebounds while redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"I thought both teams played their hearts out, both teams wanted to win the game and unfortunately, someone had to lose and we were at that end this time," stated Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "There were some key moments in the game that I felt we didn't capitalize on and some key possessions that we'll be able to watch film on and be ready for when they come to our place."
"Florida Gulf Coast did their job, they protected their home floor. Now we need to do our job when they come to our place and go from there. That's going to be the focus; we'll learn from this. We have to move on to the next game, exude toughness, and protect home court."
For the Dolphins, senior Naqaiyyah Teague led the way with 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Teague did get a technical foul in the game.
Junior Lindsay John had 10 points, one rebound and one assist.
Senior Brandi Buie had nine points, five rebounds and one steal.
Senior Kayla Gordon had six points, 13 rebounds and two steals.
Junior Jasmyn Brown was held to four points and three rebounds.
Off the bench, four players contributed for the Dolphins: sophomore Alexis Burns (five points, one rebound, one assist), redshirt sophomore Shalonda Neely (four points, two rebounds, one steal), redshirt junior La'Karis Salter (three points) and redshirt junior Shakayla Nevitt (two points, six rebounds, two blocks).
With the win, the Eagles are on a 10-game winning streak, 21-3 overall against JU and are in sole possession of first place.
Fast forward to the men's game. The Eagles (16-8, 7-0 A-SUN) managed to beat the Dolphins (11-13, 5-2 A-SUN) by a score of 68-62.
"It wasn't pretty, and we were very streaky, but our defense bailed us out tonight. We got some timely stops," stated FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "But give JU credit; they switched and did some things defensively which put us in harm's way. The ball stuck for us tonight and that hurt us offensively, but our defense got stops late when it mattered most."
Leading the way for the Eagles was the duo of redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Zach Johnson. Goodwin had 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals while Johnson finished with 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and three steals.
Junior Dinero Mercurius had six points and three rebounds.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore finished with six points and 10 rebounds.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons contributed with two rebounds and one assist.
Off the bench, senior Christian Terrell had 11 points and two rebounds.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had seven points and four rebounds.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle had two points, six rebounds and one assist.
Freshman Brian Thomas had two points, seven rebounds and one block.
"I thought we were able to do some good things in the second half, but as the game wore on, our inability to keep [the ball] in front just killed us," said Head Coach Tony Jasick
For the Dolphins, junior Jace Hogan had 23 points (10-16 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and one assist.
Freshman JD Notae had 15 points, three rebounds and one steal.
Senior Antwon Clayton had nine points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Redshirt senior Devin Harris had seven points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Freshman Jalyn Hinton had six points, three rebounds and two steals.
Off the bench, three players contributed for the Dolphins: sophomore Tanner Rubio (two points, one rebound, one assist), redshirt senior Cody Helgeland (two rebound, two steals) and junior Radwan Bakkali (two rebounds).
"We're awfully close, but we're light years away if we won't commit to guarding the basketball," said Jasick.
With the win, the Eagles are on a nine-game winning streak.
Up next for both teams, the men's team will play UNF at home on Monday, January 29 at 7 pm where it will be a white out.
For the women, they will be on another two-game road trip in Jacksonville as they play UNF on Thursday, February 1 at UNF and a rematch against Jacksonville at JU.
FGCU Swimming and Diving vs FIU Recap: Senior Moments
The swimming and diving team wrapped up their season with close win at home over FIU as the Eagles won 154-147. With the win, the Eagles are 10-1 against the Panthers.
“This meet came down to depth,” said head coach Dave Rollins. “Both teams won eight events and ultimately you learn more about the team from the seconds, thirds, fourths, and fifths. Team wins come from depth and the ladies really stepped up today. It was an incredible atmosphere and to send the seniors out with a win like this was perfect. Big thanks to everyone who came out today and made it even more special. Now we refocus and turn our attention to the CCSAs and trying to earn another victory for FGCU.”
Before the meet began, the Eagles (7-2) honored and recognized five seniors on the team: Madi Clarke, Sommer Harris, Chrsiti Herfurth, Hannah Soutar and Yee Ching Wong along with their families and coaches.
Freshman Rebecca Moynihan finished first in two of her events as she finished the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 23.25 and the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 50.64.
Other first places finishes in the swimming portion also came from Wong, Harris, and juniors Doris Eichorn and Hannah Burdge,
Wong finished the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 55.63.
Harris finished with a time of 1:04.74 in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Eichorn finished the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 56.03.
Burdge won the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 1:51.68.
Eichorn, Burdge, Moynihan finished first in the 200 yard freestyle relay along with junior Gracie Redding.
On the diving portion, the duo of freshman Melissa Novak and Megan Wakefield did their part in the one and three meter dives. Novak finished first in the three meter dive with a score of 305.60 while Wakefield finished third with a score of 281.50. In the one meter dive, Novak did not compete in the event, but Wakefield finished third with a score of 264.30.
To close this post on swimming and diving, I just wanted to say this message for Madi, Sommer, Yee, Hannah and Christi: Thank you for one thrill of a season and thank you for what you have done for the swimming and diving program and keeping the tradition alive and strong for the next group of swimmers that joined FGCU's swimming and diving team.
You've brought so much effort, commitment and dedication for the program. You've done good, everyone of you. The regular season may be over, but the journey in CCSA has just begun.
Thank you Madi, Sommer, Yee, Hannah and Christi.
“It’s what you do with the rough patches that will define the athlete that you’ll become.” – Dana Vollmer
With the regular season completed, the Eagles now prepare for the four day CCSA Championship in Athens, GA. The Eagles are in search of their ninth title in ten seasons.
“This meet came down to depth,” said head coach Dave Rollins. “Both teams won eight events and ultimately you learn more about the team from the seconds, thirds, fourths, and fifths. Team wins come from depth and the ladies really stepped up today. It was an incredible atmosphere and to send the seniors out with a win like this was perfect. Big thanks to everyone who came out today and made it even more special. Now we refocus and turn our attention to the CCSAs and trying to earn another victory for FGCU.”
Before the meet began, the Eagles (7-2) honored and recognized five seniors on the team: Madi Clarke, Sommer Harris, Chrsiti Herfurth, Hannah Soutar and Yee Ching Wong along with their families and coaches.
Freshman Rebecca Moynihan finished first in two of her events as she finished the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 23.25 and the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 50.64.
Other first places finishes in the swimming portion also came from Wong, Harris, and juniors Doris Eichorn and Hannah Burdge,
Wong finished the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 55.63.
Harris finished with a time of 1:04.74 in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Eichorn finished the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 56.03.
Burdge won the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 1:51.68.
Eichorn, Burdge, Moynihan finished first in the 200 yard freestyle relay along with junior Gracie Redding.
On the diving portion, the duo of freshman Melissa Novak and Megan Wakefield did their part in the one and three meter dives. Novak finished first in the three meter dive with a score of 305.60 while Wakefield finished third with a score of 281.50. In the one meter dive, Novak did not compete in the event, but Wakefield finished third with a score of 264.30.
To close this post on swimming and diving, I just wanted to say this message for Madi, Sommer, Yee, Hannah and Christi: Thank you for one thrill of a season and thank you for what you have done for the swimming and diving program and keeping the tradition alive and strong for the next group of swimmers that joined FGCU's swimming and diving team.
You've brought so much effort, commitment and dedication for the program. You've done good, everyone of you. The regular season may be over, but the journey in CCSA has just begun.
Thank you Madi, Sommer, Yee, Hannah and Christi.
“It’s what you do with the rough patches that will define the athlete that you’ll become.” – Dana Vollmer
With the regular season completed, the Eagles now prepare for the four day CCSA Championship in Athens, GA. The Eagles are in search of their ninth title in ten seasons.
FGCU Basketball vs JU Preview
Continuing in A-SUN Conference play, the FGCU men's and women's basketball teams prepare for a doubleheader as they both will play Jacksonville.
Last Time Out for the Women:
The women's team (19-3, 5-0 A-SUN) completed a two-game road trip as they faced Kennesaw and Lipscomb before coming back home. The Eagles would beat Kennesaw 78-57 before concluding the road trip with a 68-54 win over Lipscomb. As a result, the Eagles are currently on a nine-game winning streak.
Senior Rose Julien continues to lead the way offensively. Julien is averaging 12.9 points per game and free throw percentage (.846). Julien had 19 points against Kennesaw and 12 against Lipscomb. In fact, Julien has scored at least 10 points in all five conference games.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly continues to be the main rebounder of the team. Adderly is averaging 7.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. In her game against Kennesaw, Adderly was held scoreless, but managed to grab 10 rebounds with nine of them offensively. Against Lipscomb, Adderly had her third double-double of the season and seventh in her career as she finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, four of them being offensive. Adderly surpassed Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time in career offensive rebounds (185). Adderly is two offensive rebounds away from surpassing Kaneisha Atwater (186) for sixth all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan is averaging 10.2 points per game. Grandijan had 12 points in both games against Kennesaw and Lipscomb. The rare sixth-year senior has 1,108 points and 269 3-pointers made. Grandijan is 28 away from surpassing current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points and 26 3-pointers away from surpassing WNBA player Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers.
Grandijan vs Adderly, Battle of Rebounds:
This season was a battle of career rebounds. Grandijan has 452 career rebounds and is sixth all-time while Adderly is seventh all-time with 447 total career rebounds. Both players are neck and neck with each other in the same category, and are on a pace to surpass Atwater (508) for fifth all-time in career rebounds. Grandijan is 57 away from surpassing while Adderly is 62 away.
Bench Role Sparks:
Remaining as the key sparks off the bench are redshirt seniors Jessica Cattani and China Dow and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka.
Cattani, who was supposed to originally be a starter for the season, has been strong off the bench. Cattani is averaging 7.4 points per game. She scored nine points against Kennesaw and five against Lipscomb.
Dow is second on the team in points per game (10.4) and has been a key role for the bench. Dow had 10 points each against Kennesaw and Lipscomb, and in the game against Lipscomb, the Louisville native added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.3 points and 2.8 assists per game. The Vienna, Austria native and Houston Baptist transfer had 11 points against Kennesaw before being held to four points against Lipscomb.
Scouting Lady Dolphins:
The Lady Dolphins (15-5, 5-0 A-SUN) recently completed a two-game road trip as they defeated NJIT (88-58) and Upstate (71-45).
Junior Jasmyn Brown leads the team offensively. Brown is averaging 13.9 points. During the road games, Brown scored 19 points against NJIT and Upstate.
Senior Brandi Buie is averaging 12.3 points per game and against NJIT and Upstate, Buie scored 14 points against NJIT and 16 against Upstate.
Series History:
FGCU is 20-3 against JU. The last series, FGCU split the season series with JU winning 60-57 at home and losing 65-73 at JU. FGCU did defeat JU in the A-SUN Conference tournament semifinals by a score of 68-64.
Last Time Out for the Men:
The men's team (15-8, 6-0 A-SUN) recently completed a three-game road trip for conference play. The Eagles beat Lipscomb (88-83), Kennesaw (66-49) and UNF (96-87). Currently, the Eagles are in sole possession of first place in conference and are on a eight-game winning streak.
During the game against UNF, the Eagles played without redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Ricky Doyle as they sat out as a coach's decision.
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson led the way offensively against UNF scoring 19 points. Johnson is averaging 14.3 points per game. In the games against Lipscomb and Kennesaw, Johnson scored 14 against Lipscomb and 17 against Kennesaw.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius has been a big factor since being in the starting lineup. Despite being held to three points against Kennesaw, the Orlando native and triple transfer scored 12 against Lipscomb and 16 against UNF. The majority of his point came from behind the 3-point line. Mercurius is averaging 8.9 points per game.
Senior Christian Terrell is averaging 11.2 points per game.
"Big" Improvements:
The big men have improved a lot better since finishing non-conference and getting stronger with rebounds.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons started against UNF replacing Doyle. Simmons scored 11 against Lipscomb and nine against Kennesaw and UNF. Simmons is averaging seven points per game.
Despite scoring 2.1 points per game, redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had his best game against UNF scoring a season-high 10 points with seven rebounds.
Since returning from a broken hand, freshman Brian Thomas has made a strong comeback. Thomas is averaging 3.6 points per game, but in the game against Kennesaw, Thomas' hometown, he scored nine points against the Owls and against UNF, scored seven points.
Scouting JU Men's Team:
The Dolphins (11-12, 5-1 A-SUN) are currently in second place in conference. JU recently competed against Stetson as they beat the Hatters 76-69.
Leading the Dolphins offensively are junior Jace Hogan and freshman JD Notae.
Hogan is averaging 16.2 points per game and scored 17 against Stetson.
Notae is scoring 16.1 points per game and scored 21 against Stetson.
Series History:
FGCU is 10-11 against JU. Last season series, FGCU swept the series winning 78-56 at home and 67-57 at JU. JU's last win against FGCU was on February 1, 2016 as the Dolphins 83-80.
Both games will be played on Saturday, January 27 and aired on ESPN 3. The women will play at 4 pm and the men will play at 7 pm, and are dubbed as a red out as a way to benefiting the American Heart & Stroke Association, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear red to both games.
In addition, it will be recognition for five seniors on the cheerleading squad and two on the Dancing E'Gals: Patrick Natali, Zahra Fayad, Brittany Borman, Bailey Spenlau and Jessica Gorman from cheerleading and Jaime Garcia and Amanda Wakeman from the E'Gals.
Last Time Out for the Women:
The women's team (19-3, 5-0 A-SUN) completed a two-game road trip as they faced Kennesaw and Lipscomb before coming back home. The Eagles would beat Kennesaw 78-57 before concluding the road trip with a 68-54 win over Lipscomb. As a result, the Eagles are currently on a nine-game winning streak.
Senior Rose Julien continues to lead the way offensively. Julien is averaging 12.9 points per game and free throw percentage (.846). Julien had 19 points against Kennesaw and 12 against Lipscomb. In fact, Julien has scored at least 10 points in all five conference games.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly continues to be the main rebounder of the team. Adderly is averaging 7.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. In her game against Kennesaw, Adderly was held scoreless, but managed to grab 10 rebounds with nine of them offensively. Against Lipscomb, Adderly had her third double-double of the season and seventh in her career as she finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, four of them being offensive. Adderly surpassed Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time in career offensive rebounds (185). Adderly is two offensive rebounds away from surpassing Kaneisha Atwater (186) for sixth all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan is averaging 10.2 points per game. Grandijan had 12 points in both games against Kennesaw and Lipscomb. The rare sixth-year senior has 1,108 points and 269 3-pointers made. Grandijan is 28 away from surpassing current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points and 26 3-pointers away from surpassing WNBA player Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers.
Grandijan vs Adderly, Battle of Rebounds:
This season was a battle of career rebounds. Grandijan has 452 career rebounds and is sixth all-time while Adderly is seventh all-time with 447 total career rebounds. Both players are neck and neck with each other in the same category, and are on a pace to surpass Atwater (508) for fifth all-time in career rebounds. Grandijan is 57 away from surpassing while Adderly is 62 away.
Bench Role Sparks:
Remaining as the key sparks off the bench are redshirt seniors Jessica Cattani and China Dow and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka.
Cattani, who was supposed to originally be a starter for the season, has been strong off the bench. Cattani is averaging 7.4 points per game. She scored nine points against Kennesaw and five against Lipscomb.
Dow is second on the team in points per game (10.4) and has been a key role for the bench. Dow had 10 points each against Kennesaw and Lipscomb, and in the game against Lipscomb, the Louisville native added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.3 points and 2.8 assists per game. The Vienna, Austria native and Houston Baptist transfer had 11 points against Kennesaw before being held to four points against Lipscomb.
Scouting Lady Dolphins:
The Lady Dolphins (15-5, 5-0 A-SUN) recently completed a two-game road trip as they defeated NJIT (88-58) and Upstate (71-45).
Junior Jasmyn Brown leads the team offensively. Brown is averaging 13.9 points. During the road games, Brown scored 19 points against NJIT and Upstate.
Senior Brandi Buie is averaging 12.3 points per game and against NJIT and Upstate, Buie scored 14 points against NJIT and 16 against Upstate.
Series History:
FGCU is 20-3 against JU. The last series, FGCU split the season series with JU winning 60-57 at home and losing 65-73 at JU. FGCU did defeat JU in the A-SUN Conference tournament semifinals by a score of 68-64.
Last Time Out for the Men:
The men's team (15-8, 6-0 A-SUN) recently completed a three-game road trip for conference play. The Eagles beat Lipscomb (88-83), Kennesaw (66-49) and UNF (96-87). Currently, the Eagles are in sole possession of first place in conference and are on a eight-game winning streak.
During the game against UNF, the Eagles played without redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Ricky Doyle as they sat out as a coach's decision.
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson led the way offensively against UNF scoring 19 points. Johnson is averaging 14.3 points per game. In the games against Lipscomb and Kennesaw, Johnson scored 14 against Lipscomb and 17 against Kennesaw.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius has been a big factor since being in the starting lineup. Despite being held to three points against Kennesaw, the Orlando native and triple transfer scored 12 against Lipscomb and 16 against UNF. The majority of his point came from behind the 3-point line. Mercurius is averaging 8.9 points per game.
Senior Christian Terrell is averaging 11.2 points per game.
"Big" Improvements:
The big men have improved a lot better since finishing non-conference and getting stronger with rebounds.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons started against UNF replacing Doyle. Simmons scored 11 against Lipscomb and nine against Kennesaw and UNF. Simmons is averaging seven points per game.
Despite scoring 2.1 points per game, redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had his best game against UNF scoring a season-high 10 points with seven rebounds.
Since returning from a broken hand, freshman Brian Thomas has made a strong comeback. Thomas is averaging 3.6 points per game, but in the game against Kennesaw, Thomas' hometown, he scored nine points against the Owls and against UNF, scored seven points.
Scouting JU Men's Team:
The Dolphins (11-12, 5-1 A-SUN) are currently in second place in conference. JU recently competed against Stetson as they beat the Hatters 76-69.
Leading the Dolphins offensively are junior Jace Hogan and freshman JD Notae.
Hogan is averaging 16.2 points per game and scored 17 against Stetson.
Notae is scoring 16.1 points per game and scored 21 against Stetson.
Series History:
FGCU is 10-11 against JU. Last season series, FGCU swept the series winning 78-56 at home and 67-57 at JU. JU's last win against FGCU was on February 1, 2016 as the Dolphins 83-80.
Both games will be played on Saturday, January 27 and aired on ESPN 3. The women will play at 4 pm and the men will play at 7 pm, and are dubbed as a red out as a way to benefiting the American Heart & Stroke Association, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear red to both games.
In addition, it will be recognition for five seniors on the cheerleading squad and two on the Dancing E'Gals: Patrick Natali, Zahra Fayad, Brittany Borman, Bailey Spenlau and Jessica Gorman from cheerleading and Jaime Garcia and Amanda Wakeman from the E'Gals.
FGCU Swimming and Diving Preview: Senior Night
The FGCU swimming and diving team wrap up their regular season with one final meet at home. The Eagles (6-2) welcome FIU (7-3) for the final meet at home and the season. The meet will be entitled as senior day.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles recently competed in their last away meet against Miami in which the Eagles won 180-120. There, the Eagles won 11 of the 16 events and several season best times and a new school record occurred.
Junior Linda Shaw finished first in the 1,000 yard freestyle event where she clocked a season-best time of 10:22.39.
Freshman Petra Halmai finished first in the 100 yard breaststroke and 200 yard backstroke, and finished second in the 200 yard IM relay and third in the 200 yard individual medley.
Sophomore Liz Zeiger, who was named CCSA Swimmer of the Week for the second time in her career, posted a season-best time in the 200 individual medley (2:02.59) and the 500 free (4:59.71).
It was freshman diver Megan Wakefield who set the bar in the platform dive. The Guelph, Canada native was named CCSA Diver of the Week after setting a program record score of 242.55. The score surpassed Cayla Collins' score of 196.40. Wakefield qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships as a result.
Other swimmers that made strong impressions were freshman Rebecca Moynihan and junior Christina Kaas Elmgreen.
Moynihan won two events (100 yard freestyle, and 400 yard freestyle relay) while Elmgreen, the defending CCSA Swimmer of the Year, won two (200 yard butterfly, 100 yard butterfly) against Miami.
Senior Recognition:
Before the meet, five of the swimmers will be recognized for senior day: Madeleine Clarke, Sommer Harris, Christina Herfurth and Yee Ching Wong. Graduate student Hannah Soutar will also be recognized before the meet.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers recently competed against NCAA DII Nova Southeastern. The Panthers were victorious as they won 154-108 as their senior day.
From the swimming side, freshman Stephanie Hussey finished first in the 1,000 yard freestyle (10:20.71) and 400 yard IM (4:24.23).
For diving, senior Rebecca Quesnel finished first in the one meter dive (296.55) and third in the three meter (291.97)
Series History:
Overall, FGCU is 9-1 in the series against FIU. Last time both teams met, the Eagles won 152-148 on January 24, 2017. The Panthers lone win was on January 24, 2015 where they beat the Eagles 167-133.
The meet will start at noon on Saturday, January 27 with the senior ceremony starting 30 minutes before the meet begins. It will also be dubbed as a pinkout as part of breast cancer awareness, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear pink to the meet.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles recently competed in their last away meet against Miami in which the Eagles won 180-120. There, the Eagles won 11 of the 16 events and several season best times and a new school record occurred.
Junior Linda Shaw finished first in the 1,000 yard freestyle event where she clocked a season-best time of 10:22.39.
Freshman Petra Halmai finished first in the 100 yard breaststroke and 200 yard backstroke, and finished second in the 200 yard IM relay and third in the 200 yard individual medley.
Sophomore Liz Zeiger, who was named CCSA Swimmer of the Week for the second time in her career, posted a season-best time in the 200 individual medley (2:02.59) and the 500 free (4:59.71).
It was freshman diver Megan Wakefield who set the bar in the platform dive. The Guelph, Canada native was named CCSA Diver of the Week after setting a program record score of 242.55. The score surpassed Cayla Collins' score of 196.40. Wakefield qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships as a result.
Other swimmers that made strong impressions were freshman Rebecca Moynihan and junior Christina Kaas Elmgreen.
Moynihan won two events (100 yard freestyle, and 400 yard freestyle relay) while Elmgreen, the defending CCSA Swimmer of the Year, won two (200 yard butterfly, 100 yard butterfly) against Miami.
Senior Recognition:
Before the meet, five of the swimmers will be recognized for senior day: Madeleine Clarke, Sommer Harris, Christina Herfurth and Yee Ching Wong. Graduate student Hannah Soutar will also be recognized before the meet.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers recently competed against NCAA DII Nova Southeastern. The Panthers were victorious as they won 154-108 as their senior day.
From the swimming side, freshman Stephanie Hussey finished first in the 1,000 yard freestyle (10:20.71) and 400 yard IM (4:24.23).
For diving, senior Rebecca Quesnel finished first in the one meter dive (296.55) and third in the three meter (291.97)
Series History:
Overall, FGCU is 9-1 in the series against FIU. Last time both teams met, the Eagles won 152-148 on January 24, 2017. The Panthers lone win was on January 24, 2015 where they beat the Eagles 167-133.
The meet will start at noon on Saturday, January 27 with the senior ceremony starting 30 minutes before the meet begins. It will also be dubbed as a pinkout as part of breast cancer awareness, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear pink to the meet.
FGCU MBB vs UNF Recap
Still maintaining sole possession of first place, the FGCU men's basketball team (15-8, 6-0 A-SUN) wrapped up their final game of a three-game road trip as they clipped the wings of UNF (9-14, 2-4 A-SUN) by a score of 96-87. With the win, the Eagles not only maintained first place in conference play, but they are on a eight-game winning streak and have reached win number 300.
Before the game started, the lineup changed once again as the Eagles played without redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin, redshirt junior Ricky Doyle and sophomore RaySean Scott Jr. Goodwin and Doyle did not play or travel with the team as a coach's decision while Scott Jr is under concussion protocol.
Leading the charge offensively for the Eagles was redshirt junior Zach Johnson. Johnson led the way with 19 points (7-16 FG, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Senior Christian Terrell had four points, three rebounds, six assists and one steal.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore finished with a double-double of 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-6 FT) and 11 rebounds and one block. Gilmore did get a technical foul in the second half
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius was the main factor from the 3-point line as the Orlando native finished with 16 points (5-7 FG, 4-5 3FG, 2-2 FT) and three rebounds.
Off the bench, it was sophomore Christian Carlyle that provided a lot of energy off the bench. Carlyle finished with 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-5 FT), one rebound, two assists and three steals.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst made a big improvement in the game as the Clinton, Iowa native had a season-high 10 points (5-6 FG), seven rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons had nine points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Freshman Brian Thomas had seven points, four rebounds and one block.
Freshman Darnell Rogers also contributed with one assist and one steal.
For the Ospreys, it was redshirt sophomore J.T. Escobar that led the way. Escobar finished with 28 points (10-17 FG, 6-12 3FG, 2-2 FT), one rebound and one assist before fouling out. Escobar also had a technical foul that ended with him fouling out of the game.
Sophomore Noah Horchler had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, along with four blocks and three steals.
Sophomore Garrett Sams had 20 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore Ivan Gandia-Rosa, the team's lead scorer, was held to eight points (2-10 FG, 2-10 3FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, 10 assists and two steals.
Freshman Trip Day had 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Off the Osprey bench, redshirt senior Osborn Blount had eight points, one rebound, two assists and six steals.
Freshman Emmanuel Lambright contributed with one rebound and two steals.
Freshman Ryan Burkhardt contributed with one rebound.
With the win, the Eagles are now 17-10 overall against UNF.
Up next, the Eagles return to action at home as they play UNF's crosstown rival JU on January 27 at 7 p.m.
Before the game started, the lineup changed once again as the Eagles played without redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin, redshirt junior Ricky Doyle and sophomore RaySean Scott Jr. Goodwin and Doyle did not play or travel with the team as a coach's decision while Scott Jr is under concussion protocol.
Leading the charge offensively for the Eagles was redshirt junior Zach Johnson. Johnson led the way with 19 points (7-16 FG, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Senior Christian Terrell had four points, three rebounds, six assists and one steal.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore finished with a double-double of 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-6 FT) and 11 rebounds and one block. Gilmore did get a technical foul in the second half
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius was the main factor from the 3-point line as the Orlando native finished with 16 points (5-7 FG, 4-5 3FG, 2-2 FT) and three rebounds.
Off the bench, it was sophomore Christian Carlyle that provided a lot of energy off the bench. Carlyle finished with 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-5 FT), one rebound, two assists and three steals.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst made a big improvement in the game as the Clinton, Iowa native had a season-high 10 points (5-6 FG), seven rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons had nine points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Freshman Brian Thomas had seven points, four rebounds and one block.
Freshman Darnell Rogers also contributed with one assist and one steal.
For the Ospreys, it was redshirt sophomore J.T. Escobar that led the way. Escobar finished with 28 points (10-17 FG, 6-12 3FG, 2-2 FT), one rebound and one assist before fouling out. Escobar also had a technical foul that ended with him fouling out of the game.
Sophomore Noah Horchler had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, along with four blocks and three steals.
Sophomore Garrett Sams had 20 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore Ivan Gandia-Rosa, the team's lead scorer, was held to eight points (2-10 FG, 2-10 3FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, 10 assists and two steals.
Freshman Trip Day had 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Off the Osprey bench, redshirt senior Osborn Blount had eight points, one rebound, two assists and six steals.
Freshman Emmanuel Lambright contributed with one rebound and two steals.
Freshman Ryan Burkhardt contributed with one rebound.
With the win, the Eagles are now 17-10 overall against UNF.
Up next, the Eagles return to action at home as they play UNF's crosstown rival JU on January 27 at 7 p.m.
FGCU WTEN vs FAU Recap
With their season now underway, the FGCU women's tennis team (1-0) opened their season on the road with a 4-3 win over FAU (1-3).
"These women are strong," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "I am very proud of the fight and focus everyone showed. They stuck to the plan even though we were down 3-0 and they were determined to come back. It was a neat experience to a part of. We are looking forward to getting home and getting back to work tomorrow."
The Eagles lost two out of three doubles matches, but bounced back with four singles. The team of junior Patricia Villar and Laura Falceto-Font won the only doubles match as beat the team of seniors Jennifer Leib and Marisa Ruiz by a score of 6-3 on No. 3 doubles. Villar was making her FGCU debut after spending her first two seasons at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
The team of junior Julia Ascua and senior Julianna Curtis lost to the team of sophomore Aliona Bolsova and freshman Jemi Aguilar by a score of 4-6 while the team of sophomore Maja Ornberg and freshman Madison Gallegos lost 2-6 to freshman Natalia Boltinskaya and redshirt freshman Ja'Cara Gillis, thus giving FAU the first point.
With the score 1-0 in favor of FAU, singles went underway. Ascua would fall to Bolsova 2-6, 0-6. Falceto-Font would fall next losing 0-6, 2-6 to Gills.
With the score 3-0 in favor of FAU, it seemed like it FGCU would lose their opening matchup to start the season, but the Eagles would not give up and fought back in the remaining four singles matches.
Ornberg got the first point for FGCU as the former A-SUN Freshman of the Year beat Boltinskaya 6-1, 6-3. After sophomore Sofia Perez followed with a 6-4 pair decision over junior Kristen Thoms, Villar would tie the score at 3-3 with a 6-3, 7-6 win over senior Jennifer Leib. This was Villar's singles debut for FGCU.
It all came down to one final match between Gallegos and Aguilar. Gallegos would win the first set, but was forced to play a third set after losing in the second set. With all doubt not getting in the way of her playing, the lone freshman sealed the deal strongly with a finish in the third set and gave FGCU the final point needed and the first win of the season. Galllegos finished the match with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 decision.
Up next, the Eagles open with their home opener against FIU on February 4 at 2 p.m.
"These women are strong," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "I am very proud of the fight and focus everyone showed. They stuck to the plan even though we were down 3-0 and they were determined to come back. It was a neat experience to a part of. We are looking forward to getting home and getting back to work tomorrow."
The Eagles lost two out of three doubles matches, but bounced back with four singles. The team of junior Patricia Villar and Laura Falceto-Font won the only doubles match as beat the team of seniors Jennifer Leib and Marisa Ruiz by a score of 6-3 on No. 3 doubles. Villar was making her FGCU debut after spending her first two seasons at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
The team of junior Julia Ascua and senior Julianna Curtis lost to the team of sophomore Aliona Bolsova and freshman Jemi Aguilar by a score of 4-6 while the team of sophomore Maja Ornberg and freshman Madison Gallegos lost 2-6 to freshman Natalia Boltinskaya and redshirt freshman Ja'Cara Gillis, thus giving FAU the first point.
With the score 1-0 in favor of FAU, singles went underway. Ascua would fall to Bolsova 2-6, 0-6. Falceto-Font would fall next losing 0-6, 2-6 to Gills.
With the score 3-0 in favor of FAU, it seemed like it FGCU would lose their opening matchup to start the season, but the Eagles would not give up and fought back in the remaining four singles matches.
Ornberg got the first point for FGCU as the former A-SUN Freshman of the Year beat Boltinskaya 6-1, 6-3. After sophomore Sofia Perez followed with a 6-4 pair decision over junior Kristen Thoms, Villar would tie the score at 3-3 with a 6-3, 7-6 win over senior Jennifer Leib. This was Villar's singles debut for FGCU.
It all came down to one final match between Gallegos and Aguilar. Gallegos would win the first set, but was forced to play a third set after losing in the second set. With all doubt not getting in the way of her playing, the lone freshman sealed the deal strongly with a finish in the third set and gave FGCU the final point needed and the first win of the season. Galllegos finished the match with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 decision.
Up next, the Eagles open with their home opener against FIU on February 4 at 2 p.m.
FGCU MBB vs UNF Preview
The FGCU men's basketball team (14-8, 5-0 A-SUN) will wrap up their three-game road trip at Jacksonville and face UNF (9-13, 3-2 A-SUN). The Eagles are looking to extend their winning streak to eight in a row and remain in sole possession of 1st place in the A-SUN standings.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles started their three-game road against Lipscomb and Kennesaw. In the game against Lipscomb, the Eagles were down by eight in the first half and were behind by as much as 18 points, but bounced with a 88-83 come-from-behind win. They then traveled to Kennesaw and had no problem beating the Owls 66-49.
Mr. 1,000:
During the game against Kennesaw, redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin sealed the deal by becoming the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 points. Goodwin, who was named A-SUN Player of the Week, scored 22 points against Lipscomb and 18 against Kennesaw. The Norcross, Georgia native is averaging 17.5 points per game overall and 17.2 in conference and leads the team in rebounds per game (5.7). The last players that recently joined the 1,000 point club were senior Christian Terrell (8th) and redshirt junior Zach Johnson (9th).
Impactful Players:
Aside from Goodwin, Johnson and Terrell have been strong keys to the game.
Johnson is averaging 14.1 points per game overall and 17.2 in conference. Johnson had 14 against Lipscomb and 17 against Kennesaw.
Terrell began the season majorly as a starter before transitioning to bench role. Terrell is averaging 11.4 points per game overall and 6.8 in conference. Terrell had eight points against Lipscomb and four against Kennesaw.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius made impact as a starter. Beginning off the bench, Mercurius started all five conference games and made a big difference in the lineup. The Orlando native, who is averaging 8.5 point per game overall and 8.8 in conference, had 12 points against Lipscomb before being held to three against Kennesaw.
Hometown Hero:
Freshman Brian Thomas played strongly in the game against Kennesaw, which is where he is from. Thomas, who missed several games due to an injury on his non-shooting hand, had nine points and eight rebounds in his hometown of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys had the toughest schedule for non-conference playing Power 5 teams such Michigan and Michigan State from the Big Ten Conference, Miami from the ACC and LSU from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Last time out, The Ospreys beat Upstate 100-80.
Sophomore Ivan Gandia-Rosa leads the team offensively. Gandia-Rosa, a transfer from NJCAA College of Central Florida (CCF), leads the team with 14.2 points per game. In the game against Upstate, Gandia-Rosa finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 assists. Gandia-Rosa also leads the team in assists (119) and assists per game (5.4).
Sophomore Garrett Sams is scoring 12.4 points per game (second on the team). Garrett scored 19 points against Upstate.
As far as newcomers, sophomore Noah Horchler is scoring 10.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounds per game (8). Horchler, a transfer from NJCAA Eastern Florida State College, had a double-double of a season-high 31 points and 12 rebounds against Upstate.
Series History:
Overall, the Eagles are 16-10 against UNF. Last series, the Eagles swept the Ospreys winning 86-82 at UNF, 74-59 at FGCU and 77-61 in the A-SUN Conference Tournament Championship. The Ospreys last win was on January 30, 2016 where they beat the Eagles 82-76.
The game will be on Wednesay, January 24 at 7 PM and be livestream on ESPN 3.
Link: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3245196/florida-gulf-coast-vs-north-florida-m-basketball
Last Time Out:
The Eagles started their three-game road against Lipscomb and Kennesaw. In the game against Lipscomb, the Eagles were down by eight in the first half and were behind by as much as 18 points, but bounced with a 88-83 come-from-behind win. They then traveled to Kennesaw and had no problem beating the Owls 66-49.
Mr. 1,000:
During the game against Kennesaw, redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin sealed the deal by becoming the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 points. Goodwin, who was named A-SUN Player of the Week, scored 22 points against Lipscomb and 18 against Kennesaw. The Norcross, Georgia native is averaging 17.5 points per game overall and 17.2 in conference and leads the team in rebounds per game (5.7). The last players that recently joined the 1,000 point club were senior Christian Terrell (8th) and redshirt junior Zach Johnson (9th).
Impactful Players:
Aside from Goodwin, Johnson and Terrell have been strong keys to the game.
Johnson is averaging 14.1 points per game overall and 17.2 in conference. Johnson had 14 against Lipscomb and 17 against Kennesaw.
Terrell began the season majorly as a starter before transitioning to bench role. Terrell is averaging 11.4 points per game overall and 6.8 in conference. Terrell had eight points against Lipscomb and four against Kennesaw.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius made impact as a starter. Beginning off the bench, Mercurius started all five conference games and made a big difference in the lineup. The Orlando native, who is averaging 8.5 point per game overall and 8.8 in conference, had 12 points against Lipscomb before being held to three against Kennesaw.
Hometown Hero:
Freshman Brian Thomas played strongly in the game against Kennesaw, which is where he is from. Thomas, who missed several games due to an injury on his non-shooting hand, had nine points and eight rebounds in his hometown of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys had the toughest schedule for non-conference playing Power 5 teams such Michigan and Michigan State from the Big Ten Conference, Miami from the ACC and LSU from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Last time out, The Ospreys beat Upstate 100-80.
Sophomore Ivan Gandia-Rosa leads the team offensively. Gandia-Rosa, a transfer from NJCAA College of Central Florida (CCF), leads the team with 14.2 points per game. In the game against Upstate, Gandia-Rosa finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 assists. Gandia-Rosa also leads the team in assists (119) and assists per game (5.4).
Sophomore Garrett Sams is scoring 12.4 points per game (second on the team). Garrett scored 19 points against Upstate.
As far as newcomers, sophomore Noah Horchler is scoring 10.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounds per game (8). Horchler, a transfer from NJCAA Eastern Florida State College, had a double-double of a season-high 31 points and 12 rebounds against Upstate.
Series History:
Overall, the Eagles are 16-10 against UNF. Last series, the Eagles swept the Ospreys winning 86-82 at UNF, 74-59 at FGCU and 77-61 in the A-SUN Conference Tournament Championship. The Ospreys last win was on January 30, 2016 where they beat the Eagles 82-76.
The game will be on Wednesay, January 24 at 7 PM and be livestream on ESPN 3.
Link: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3245196/florida-gulf-coast-vs-north-florida-m-basketball
FGCU WBB vs Lipscomb Recap
The FGCU women's basketball team (19-3, 5-0 A-SUN) continues their dominance in conference play as they beat Lipscomb (6-14, 2-3 A-SUN) 68-54. With the win, the Eagles are now 21-0 against the Lady Bison.
After falling in the first quarter by a score of 11-13, the Eagles bounced back with a 28-19 second quarter to conclude the first half before taking down the Lady Bison with a 16-6 fourth quarter to seal the deal. With the win, the Eagles are currently on a nine-game winning streak.
"I thought Lipscomb played great," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "They did a good job getting the shots they wanted to get. They beat us to loose balls. Fortunately, we had a really good fourth quarter where we picked up the defensive intensity and made plays to get us going. We're going to have to get better, but I like the way we finished the game."
Five players for FGCU scored in double figures.
Senior Erica Nelson had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals.
Senior Rose Julien had 10 points and one rebound before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Julien had three fouls in the first half.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had five points, six rebounds, one assist and one block.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive, six defensive). Adderly also added five assists and three steals. With her four offensive rebounds, Adderly surpassed Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time in career offensive rebounds (185). In addition, Adderly has 447 career total rebounds.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had 12 points all from 3-point line. Grandijan also added four rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals. Grandijan four 3-pointers put her 25 away from surpassing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers. Grandijan (1,108) is also 29 points away from surpassing former player and current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points.
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow also contributed with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Dow also added five assist, one block and one steal.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had four points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani finished with five points and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan also played in the game.
For the Lady Bison, senior Loren Cagle led the way with 20 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Freshman Taylor Clark had 14 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Sophomore Lauren Rau had five points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Emily Kmec had three points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Senior Kennedy Potts had two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Off the Lady Bison bench, senior Loshaveon Jones had seven points, 12 rebounds and one assist.
Senior Auriana Broughton had three points, one rebound and one block.
Sophomore Lexi Manos contributed with one rebound and senior Meredith Lovelady added two rebounds.
Up next, the Eagles return home to continue conference play as they face Jacksonville on Saturday January 27 at 4 PM and will air on ESPN 3.
The game is dubbed as a red out, as in partnership with the American Heart Association, so marketing is encouraging everyone to wear red at the game.
It is also senior day for the cheerleaders and Dancing E'gals. The senior cheerleaders are Parick Natali, Jessica Gorman, Ernest Dorman, Brittany Borman and Zahra Fayad while for the E'gals, it's Lauren Smith and Jaime Garcia. The ceremony will take place either before the game or at half time.
After falling in the first quarter by a score of 11-13, the Eagles bounced back with a 28-19 second quarter to conclude the first half before taking down the Lady Bison with a 16-6 fourth quarter to seal the deal. With the win, the Eagles are currently on a nine-game winning streak.
"I thought Lipscomb played great," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "They did a good job getting the shots they wanted to get. They beat us to loose balls. Fortunately, we had a really good fourth quarter where we picked up the defensive intensity and made plays to get us going. We're going to have to get better, but I like the way we finished the game."
Five players for FGCU scored in double figures.
Senior Erica Nelson had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals.
Senior Rose Julien had 10 points and one rebound before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Julien had three fouls in the first half.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had five points, six rebounds, one assist and one block.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive, six defensive). Adderly also added five assists and three steals. With her four offensive rebounds, Adderly surpassed Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time in career offensive rebounds (185). In addition, Adderly has 447 career total rebounds.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had 12 points all from 3-point line. Grandijan also added four rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals. Grandijan four 3-pointers put her 25 away from surpassing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers. Grandijan (1,108) is also 29 points away from surpassing former player and current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points.
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow also contributed with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Dow also added five assist, one block and one steal.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had four points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani finished with five points and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan also played in the game.
For the Lady Bison, senior Loren Cagle led the way with 20 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Freshman Taylor Clark had 14 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Sophomore Lauren Rau had five points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Emily Kmec had three points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Senior Kennedy Potts had two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Off the Lady Bison bench, senior Loshaveon Jones had seven points, 12 rebounds and one assist.
Senior Auriana Broughton had three points, one rebound and one block.
Sophomore Lexi Manos contributed with one rebound and senior Meredith Lovelady added two rebounds.
Up next, the Eagles return home to continue conference play as they face Jacksonville on Saturday January 27 at 4 PM and will air on ESPN 3.
The game is dubbed as a red out, as in partnership with the American Heart Association, so marketing is encouraging everyone to wear red at the game.
It is also senior day for the cheerleaders and Dancing E'gals. The senior cheerleaders are Parick Natali, Jessica Gorman, Ernest Dorman, Brittany Borman and Zahra Fayad while for the E'gals, it's Lauren Smith and Jaime Garcia. The ceremony will take place either before the game or at half time.
Behind the Scenes with FGCU Cheerleading
In a previous blog post, I wrote about the FGCU cheerleading team and how they get very little, if not no credit for what they do to keep the spirit alive for not just our team, but for our student section and the fans that attend the game. I also mentioned that if they can run, jump, flip or all of the above, you are considered to be an athlete.
Today, I got an amazing opportunity to see the the cheerleading team from behind the scenes and watch them practice their choreography and formations for their upcoming games on the main court. It was amazing to see the many young ladies and gentleman on the team that gather together. Of course, if I'm not at the games, it's mainly because I'm at home for the holidays or if I have a class that goes on at the same time frame and I would most likely be late.
The team gathers together every Monday and Wednesday night and practice for two hours in two different areas.
The team gathers together every Monday and Wednesday night and practice for two hours in two different areas.
At first I was a little nervous going to the practice because I felt I would be breaking rules and I thought it was gonna be a private practice, but head coach Emily Chaikin and assistant coach Caleb Houston gave me special permission to enter which I was thankful to get the opportunity. In fact, they were happy I came. I did tell them that I was taking photos for the post and under Houston's watch, I got permission.
When the team saw me, they were happy to see me and were surprised that I came to watch. Of course, one of the cheerleaders would always worry why I wasn't in attendance at some of basketball games and probably we would lose a basketball game at home if I wasn't there.
When the team saw me, they were happy to see me and were surprised that I came to watch. Of course, one of the cheerleaders would always worry why I wasn't in attendance at some of basketball games and probably we would lose a basketball game at home if I wasn't there.
As I watched the team practice, I was amazed and astounded of what went on outside of games and outside of their uniforms. They were working really hard to make sure they were not off tempo on the counts and that they were communicating properly so that there was no miscommunication on when they are suppose to be positioned. I even got to see the team do a new formation that they just started working down.
As I was continuing to watch practice and taking photos, the cheerleaders looked that they were having a good time and seemed to enjoy themselves with plenty of music to help them move.
From what I saw at the practice, I did not see just cheerleaders practicing for the upcoming games, but I saw a tremendous amount of talented young men and women that are working their butts off to get the job done as hard and as best as they can til the bitter end and when the game is over.
The FGCU cheerleaders will be in action on Saturday, January 27 in a doubleheader for basketball. It will also be also recognition for five seniors on the team before the games start: Zahra Fayad, Patrick Natali, Jessica Gorman, Ernest Dorman and Brittany Borman.
I enjoyed watching practice and I thank coach Chaikin and coach Houston for giving me the opportunity to watch the team practice and I thank the squad for keeping up the hard work
Below are a few photos of what went on during practice:
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| Junior Evy Reynolds hold Fayad in an elevated position as Natali, freshman Kaitlyn Oplinger and Dorman stand by to help |
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| Coach Chaikin talking to the team for the upcoming games |
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| Oplinger get lifted by junior Keth McCall Jr |
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| Junior and team captain Caragan Phillips helps fellow junior Hayley Krizanovic work on her flips |
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| Freshman Lynoshka Adorno being lifted by freshman Joseph Lopez |
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| Natali lifting up sophomore Paige Pitkin |
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| Chaikin discussing on the progress made as the team listens |
FGCU WBB vs Lipscomb Preview
The FGCU women's basketball team (18-3, 4-0 A-SUN) wrap up their two-game conference road trip by heading to Nashville to face their next conference opponent: Lipscomb (6-13, 2-2 A-SUN).
Senior Rose Julien is one of the main factors from an offensive standpoint. Julien is averaging 13 points per game overall and 13.8 points per game in conference. Julien had 12 points against Kennesaw. Julien went 4-4 from the free throw line in which surpassed Kelsey Jacobson (.819, 2008-12) for the program's best career free throw percentage at .821.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan is averaging 10.1 points per game and remains in tact in several career records. Grandijan has 265 career 3-pointers and is 29 away from surpassing former WNBA player Whitney Knight for second all-time (294).
In addition, Grandijan is three games away from surpassing Katie Meador (135, 2012-16) for third most games played in program history, eight starts shy of eclipsing Adrianne McNally (118, 2006-10) for second most in that category and 30 points away from surpassing former player and current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points. In the game against Kennesaw, Grandijan had 12 points in the game against Kennesaw.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly remains on the strong end for rebounds. Despite not scoring any points against Kennesaw, Adderly is averaging 7.1 points per game. However, the Jupiter native did have 10 rebounds in the game and is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game. Adderly has 181 career offensive rebounds in which she is three away from surpassing Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time while also being in a neck and neck battle with Grandijan (448) for career rebounds (437).
Bench Role:
Redshirt seniors China Dow and Jessica Cattani and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka remain the key sparks that play off the bench.
Dow is averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and in the game against Kennesaw, Dow had 10 points and four rebounds.
Cattani is averaging 7.5 points per game and had nine points her last game.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.4 points per game and scored 11 points against Kennesaw.
Scouting Lipscomb:
The Lady Bison recently faced Stetson in a losing effort (55-59). They beat Kennesaw (64-62) and UNF (73-69), but the Lady Bison not only lost to Stetson, but they would also lose to JU (48-70). Currently Lipscomb is in fifth place in the A-SUN Conference Standings.
FGCU's primary focus on Monday will be Lipscomb's senior guard Loren Cagle. Cagle ranks second in the A-SUN in scoring (16.7 PPG) and assists (4.2 APG), as well as third in steals (2.1 SPG) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.9) and 10th in rebounding (5.6 RPG). She has scored 26 or more points in four of her team's past eight games, including a season-high 31 in a four-point win over North Florida (Jan. 15). In her game against Stetson, Cagle was held to only four points as she went 1-15 in the game.
In addition to Cagle, redshirt freshman Emily Kmec is averaging 10 points on 34.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. Kmec had seven points against Steston.
Senior Riley Northway is the team's third leading scorer at 8.6 per game. She is sixth in the A-SUN in field goal percentage (47.3) and has reached double figures in seven of the past 11 games, which includes a season-high 18 against Murray State. Northway did not play against Stetson.
Series History:
Overall, FGCU is 20-0 against Lipscomb. Last time out, FGCU swept Lipscomb away (90-63) and at home (98-50).
The game will air on ESPN 3 on Monday, January 22 at 7:30 PM EST/6:30 PM CST.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles faced Kennesaw State as the begging of their road trip and clipped the Owls by a score of 78-57 on January 20. With the win, FGCU, the No.1 team in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, is on a eight-game winning streak going into facing Lipscomb.
Senior Rose Julien is one of the main factors from an offensive standpoint. Julien is averaging 13 points per game overall and 13.8 points per game in conference. Julien had 12 points against Kennesaw. Julien went 4-4 from the free throw line in which surpassed Kelsey Jacobson (.819, 2008-12) for the program's best career free throw percentage at .821.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan is averaging 10.1 points per game and remains in tact in several career records. Grandijan has 265 career 3-pointers and is 29 away from surpassing former WNBA player Whitney Knight for second all-time (294).
In addition, Grandijan is three games away from surpassing Katie Meador (135, 2012-16) for third most games played in program history, eight starts shy of eclipsing Adrianne McNally (118, 2006-10) for second most in that category and 30 points away from surpassing former player and current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time in career points. In the game against Kennesaw, Grandijan had 12 points in the game against Kennesaw.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly remains on the strong end for rebounds. Despite not scoring any points against Kennesaw, Adderly is averaging 7.1 points per game. However, the Jupiter native did have 10 rebounds in the game and is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game. Adderly has 181 career offensive rebounds in which she is three away from surpassing Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time while also being in a neck and neck battle with Grandijan (448) for career rebounds (437).
Bench Role:
Redshirt seniors China Dow and Jessica Cattani and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka remain the key sparks that play off the bench.
Dow is averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and in the game against Kennesaw, Dow had 10 points and four rebounds.
Cattani is averaging 7.5 points per game and had nine points her last game.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.4 points per game and scored 11 points against Kennesaw.
Scouting Lipscomb:
The Lady Bison recently faced Stetson in a losing effort (55-59). They beat Kennesaw (64-62) and UNF (73-69), but the Lady Bison not only lost to Stetson, but they would also lose to JU (48-70). Currently Lipscomb is in fifth place in the A-SUN Conference Standings.
FGCU's primary focus on Monday will be Lipscomb's senior guard Loren Cagle. Cagle ranks second in the A-SUN in scoring (16.7 PPG) and assists (4.2 APG), as well as third in steals (2.1 SPG) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.9) and 10th in rebounding (5.6 RPG). She has scored 26 or more points in four of her team's past eight games, including a season-high 31 in a four-point win over North Florida (Jan. 15). In her game against Stetson, Cagle was held to only four points as she went 1-15 in the game.
In addition to Cagle, redshirt freshman Emily Kmec is averaging 10 points on 34.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. Kmec had seven points against Steston.
Senior Riley Northway is the team's third leading scorer at 8.6 per game. She is sixth in the A-SUN in field goal percentage (47.3) and has reached double figures in seven of the past 11 games, which includes a season-high 18 against Murray State. Northway did not play against Stetson.
Series History:
Overall, FGCU is 20-0 against Lipscomb. Last time out, FGCU swept Lipscomb away (90-63) and at home (98-50).
The game will air on ESPN 3 on Monday, January 22 at 7:30 PM EST/6:30 PM CST.
FGCU MBB vs Kennnesaw Recap
The FGCU men's basketball team (14-8, 5-0 A-SUN) continues their long run in conference play as they defeated Kennesaw (5-15, 1-4 A-SUN) by a score of 66-49. With the win, the Eagles enter a seven-game winning streak for their next game.
Leading the charge offensively for FGCU was redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin. Goodwin finished with 18 points (7-for-14 FG, 3-for-6 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal. In addition to his 17 points, Goodwin became the 10th FGCU player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson finished with 17 points (6-for-13 FG, 5-for-7 FT), six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Redshirt junior Ricky Doyle had four points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore had two points, five rebounds and one assist before fouling out.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius had three points, one rebound and one assist.
Off the bench, redshirt senior Antravious Simmons finished with nine points each, five rebounds and one assist.
Freshman Brian Thomas was playing in his hometown of Kennesaw, Georgia as he finished with nine points, eight rebounds and one block.
Senior Christian Terrell had four points, three rebounds and four assists.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle contributed one rebound while redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst contributed with two rebounds and one block. Freshman Ryan McAdoo also played in the game.
Sophomore RaySean Scott Jr, freshman Darnell Rogers, junior Dolan Mahoney and redshirt senior Josh Ko did not travel with the team.
For the Owls, three of their players fouled out during the game, two in which were in the starting rotation: s
Hooker and senior Nick Masterson finished with 11 points each. Hooker added three rebounds and one steal before fouling out while Masterson added three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Mbuyamba had seven points, five rebounds and two blocks before fouling out.
Sophomore James Scott finished with seven points, two assists and one steal.
Redshirt senior Jordan Jones had four points, four rebounds, one assist, three blocks and three steals.
Off the bench, sophomore Anthony Wilson finished with four points, four rebounds, one assist and three steals.
Lockley had four points, three rebounds and one block before fouling out.
Junior Kyle Clarke had one point, two rebounds and one block.
With the win, FGCU is now 17-6 against Kennesaw overall.
Up next, the Eagles will wrap up their three-game conference road trip traveling to Jacksonville to play UNF on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 PM before playing Jacksonville at home on Saturday, January 27 at 7 PM.
Up next, the Eagles will wrap up their three-game conference road trip traveling to Jacksonville to play UNF on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 PM before playing Jacksonville at home on Saturday, January 27 at 7 PM.
FGCU WBB vs. Kennesaw Recap
The FGCU women's basketball team (18-3, 4-0 A-SUN) continued their dominance on the floor as they clipped the Owls (4-11, 0-4 A-SUN) by a score of 78-57. With the win, the Eagles are on a eight-game winning streak.
Leading the way offensively was senior Rose Julien. Julien had 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had eight points and one rebound.
Senior Erica Nelson had seven points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly did not score any points in the game, but contributed with 10 rebounds (nine offensive, one defensive), three assists and one steal. With her nine offensive boards, Adderly now has 181 career offensive rebounds and is now three away from surpassing Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan was one rebound shy of a double-double, but finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal. Grandijan remains third all-time in career 3-pointers made (265) and is 29 away from surpassing former WNBA player Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time. With her nine rebounds, Grandijan now has 448 career rebounds and remains seventh all-time in career rebounds. In fact, Grandijan is also neck and neck with Adderly for career rebounds as Adderly's 10 rebounds put her at 437 career rebounds.
Off the bench, redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka finished with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
"We had a good start, but had trouble maintaining our intensity," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty, Rose and Lisa had great games (to help us get the win)."
Redshirt senior China Dow finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani finished with nine points, five rebounds and one assist.
Freshman Alyssa Blair and redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan also contributed to the game. Blair had two points while Ryan contributed with two assists. Freshman Sheahen Dowling also entered the game.
For the Owls, freshman Kamiyah Street led the way offensively with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Freshman Alexis Poole had three points, five rebounds, one assist and one block before fouling out.
Redshirt senior Clara Young contributed with one block.
Sophomore Carlotta Gianolla had 15 points, four rebounds and one assist.
Junior Iceis Walker had two points and three rebounds.
Off the Owl bench, freshman Breanna Hoover led the way. Hoover finished with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Redshirt sophomore Alexandra Landby had two points, three rebounds and three blocks.
Freshman Lexi Mann had six points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Junior Janae Omusi also entered the game.
Up next, the Eagles wrap up their two-game road trip as they travel to Nashville to face Lipscomb on Monday January 22 at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT.
Leading the way offensively was senior Rose Julien. Julien had 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had eight points and one rebound.
Senior Erica Nelson had seven points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly did not score any points in the game, but contributed with 10 rebounds (nine offensive, one defensive), three assists and one steal. With her nine offensive boards, Adderly now has 181 career offensive rebounds and is now three away from surpassing Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan was one rebound shy of a double-double, but finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal. Grandijan remains third all-time in career 3-pointers made (265) and is 29 away from surpassing former WNBA player Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time. With her nine rebounds, Grandijan now has 448 career rebounds and remains seventh all-time in career rebounds. In fact, Grandijan is also neck and neck with Adderly for career rebounds as Adderly's 10 rebounds put her at 437 career rebounds.
Off the bench, redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka finished with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
"We had a good start, but had trouble maintaining our intensity," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty, Rose and Lisa had great games (to help us get the win)."
Redshirt senior China Dow finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani finished with nine points, five rebounds and one assist.
Freshman Alyssa Blair and redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan also contributed to the game. Blair had two points while Ryan contributed with two assists. Freshman Sheahen Dowling also entered the game.
For the Owls, freshman Kamiyah Street led the way offensively with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Freshman Alexis Poole had three points, five rebounds, one assist and one block before fouling out.
Redshirt senior Clara Young contributed with one block.
Sophomore Carlotta Gianolla had 15 points, four rebounds and one assist.
Junior Iceis Walker had two points and three rebounds.
Off the Owl bench, freshman Breanna Hoover led the way. Hoover finished with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Redshirt sophomore Alexandra Landby had two points, three rebounds and three blocks.
Freshman Lexi Mann had six points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Junior Janae Omusi also entered the game.
Up next, the Eagles wrap up their two-game road trip as they travel to Nashville to face Lipscomb on Monday January 22 at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT.
FGCU MBB/WBB vs Kennesaw Preview
Both FGCU's men's and women's basketball teams continue their dominance in conference play as they prepare for their next conference opponent: Kennesaw State.
Last Time Out for the Women:
The women's team (17-3, 3-0 A-SUN) last played against USC Upstate at home on MLK Day. The Eagles won 93-60 and are currently on a seven-game winning streak.
Key Player(s):
Senior Rose Julien still leads the team in points per game (12.8). Julien had 11 points against Upstate.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had nine points in the game against Upstate, and with 1,084 career points, Grandijan is still 42 points away from surpassing video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time. Grandijan is averaging 10 points per game.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel has also been a key factor in the lineup. Ulel had 14 points against Upstate and is averaging 10.4 points per game
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly remains on the strong end for rebounds. Adderly is averaging 7.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Adderly had six points and seven rebounds with two of being offensive rebounds. Adderly remains eighth all-time in career offensive rebounds (172) and is 12 away from surpassing Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time.
Strong Bench Role:
Redshirt seniors China Dow and Jessica Cattani and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka continue to provide numerous amounts of sparks off the bench.
Dow had a double-double in the last game against Upstate with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Louisville native is averaging 10.4 points per game.
Cattani is averaging 7.4 points per game. She finished with four points against Upstate.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.3 points per game and scored 10 points against Upstate.
Scouting Kennesaw's Women's Team:
The Owls (4-10, 0-3 A-SUN) lost all three of their conference games to Lipscomb (62-64) at home and to UNF (72-77) and JU (49-84) in Jacksonville.
Key Player(s):
Leading the Owls on the offensive end is freshman Kamiyah Street. Street is averaging 16.4 points per game and leads the team in steals. Street scored 16 points against Lipscomb, 26 against UNF and 15 against JU.
Another player on the offensive end is sophomore Carlotta Gianolla. Gianolla is averaging 9.9 points per game. The Marcon, Italy native scored 17 against Lipscomb, nine against UNF and 10 against JU.
Defensively, freshman Alexis Poole lead the way. Poole is averaging 9.6 points per game and leads the team in blocks.
Series History:
The Eagles are 20-2 against Kennesaw, including postseason. The Eagles swept the series last year against the Owls winning 75-56 at Kennesaw and 69-35 at home. The Owls last win against the Eagles was on February 14, 2011 where they won 63-52.
Last Time Out for the Men:
For the men's team (13-8, 4-0 A-SUN), the last time out was on the road against Lipscomb. After being down 40-48 in the first half and being behind by as much as 18 points, the Eagles clawed their way to an 88-83 come-from-behind win.
Redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Zach Johnson continue to lead the fray offensively. Goodwin is averaging 17.4 points per game while Johnson is averaging 14 points per game. In the game against Lipscomb, Goodwin had 22 points while Johnson had 14 points.
Another player that has developed a hot hand is redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius. Mercurius is averaging 8.8 points per game and continues shooting the long ball from behind the arc. Mercurius had 12 points against Lipscomb.
Going back and forth between starter and bench role, senior Christian Terrell has made impact from both ends. Terrell played on the bench and scored eight points. Terrell is averaging 11.8 points per game.
Bench Role:
The players that developed strongly off the bench include redshirt senior Antravious Simmons and sophomore Christian Carlyle.
After make his return from a foot injury, Simmons scored 11 points in the game against Lipscomb. Simmons is averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Carlyle is averaging 5.8 points per game and had five points against Lipscomb.
Scouting Kennesaw's Men's Team:
The Owls' men's team (5-14, 1-3 A-SUN) recently competed against Stetson winning 95-81. However, they lost to Lipscomb (71-86), JU (58-65) and UNF (78-85) in the first three games.
Key Player(s):
Sophomore James Scott leads the way offensively for the Owls. Scott is averaging 16.8 points per game. In all four conference games, Scott scored 15 points against Lipscomb and UNF, six against JU and 32 against Stetson.
Two other players on the offensive end include senior Nick Masterson and redshirt sophomore Tyler Hooker.
Masterson is averaging 13.7 points per game and in all four conference games, he scored 17 against Lipscomb, eight against JU, 24 against UNF and 28 against Stetson.
Hooker is averaging 11.2 points per game. In all four conference games, Hooker has scored seven against Lipscomb, 16 against JU, five against UNF and six against Stetson.
Series History:
FGCU is 16-6 against Kennesaw. The Eagles swept the Owls in the season series winning 78-75 at Kennesaw and 75-63 at home. The Eagles also beat the Owls in the semifinals of the A-SUN Conference Tournament winning 74-62. Kennesaw's last win was on February 10, 2011 where the Owls swept the series winning 81-70 at FGCU and 69-68 at home.
Both games will be on ESPN livestream on February 20. The women will play first at 2 PM and the men will follow at 4:30 PM.
Last Time Out for the Women:
The women's team (17-3, 3-0 A-SUN) last played against USC Upstate at home on MLK Day. The Eagles won 93-60 and are currently on a seven-game winning streak.
Key Player(s):
Senior Rose Julien still leads the team in points per game (12.8). Julien had 11 points against Upstate.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had nine points in the game against Upstate, and with 1,084 career points, Grandijan is still 42 points away from surpassing video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135) for seventh all-time. Grandijan is averaging 10 points per game.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel has also been a key factor in the lineup. Ulel had 14 points against Upstate and is averaging 10.4 points per game
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly remains on the strong end for rebounds. Adderly is averaging 7.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Adderly had six points and seven rebounds with two of being offensive rebounds. Adderly remains eighth all-time in career offensive rebounds (172) and is 12 away from surpassing Courtney Chihil (183) for seventh all-time.
Strong Bench Role:
Redshirt seniors China Dow and Jessica Cattani and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka continue to provide numerous amounts of sparks off the bench.
Dow had a double-double in the last game against Upstate with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Louisville native is averaging 10.4 points per game.
Cattani is averaging 7.4 points per game. She finished with four points against Upstate.
Zderadicka is averaging 7.3 points per game and scored 10 points against Upstate.
Scouting Kennesaw's Women's Team:
The Owls (4-10, 0-3 A-SUN) lost all three of their conference games to Lipscomb (62-64) at home and to UNF (72-77) and JU (49-84) in Jacksonville.
Key Player(s):
Leading the Owls on the offensive end is freshman Kamiyah Street. Street is averaging 16.4 points per game and leads the team in steals. Street scored 16 points against Lipscomb, 26 against UNF and 15 against JU.
Another player on the offensive end is sophomore Carlotta Gianolla. Gianolla is averaging 9.9 points per game. The Marcon, Italy native scored 17 against Lipscomb, nine against UNF and 10 against JU.
Defensively, freshman Alexis Poole lead the way. Poole is averaging 9.6 points per game and leads the team in blocks.
Series History:
The Eagles are 20-2 against Kennesaw, including postseason. The Eagles swept the series last year against the Owls winning 75-56 at Kennesaw and 69-35 at home. The Owls last win against the Eagles was on February 14, 2011 where they won 63-52.
Last Time Out for the Men:
For the men's team (13-8, 4-0 A-SUN), the last time out was on the road against Lipscomb. After being down 40-48 in the first half and being behind by as much as 18 points, the Eagles clawed their way to an 88-83 come-from-behind win.
Redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Zach Johnson continue to lead the fray offensively. Goodwin is averaging 17.4 points per game while Johnson is averaging 14 points per game. In the game against Lipscomb, Goodwin had 22 points while Johnson had 14 points.
Another player that has developed a hot hand is redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius. Mercurius is averaging 8.8 points per game and continues shooting the long ball from behind the arc. Mercurius had 12 points against Lipscomb.
Going back and forth between starter and bench role, senior Christian Terrell has made impact from both ends. Terrell played on the bench and scored eight points. Terrell is averaging 11.8 points per game.
Bench Role:
The players that developed strongly off the bench include redshirt senior Antravious Simmons and sophomore Christian Carlyle.
After make his return from a foot injury, Simmons scored 11 points in the game against Lipscomb. Simmons is averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Carlyle is averaging 5.8 points per game and had five points against Lipscomb.
Scouting Kennesaw's Men's Team:
The Owls' men's team (5-14, 1-3 A-SUN) recently competed against Stetson winning 95-81. However, they lost to Lipscomb (71-86), JU (58-65) and UNF (78-85) in the first three games.
Key Player(s):
Sophomore James Scott leads the way offensively for the Owls. Scott is averaging 16.8 points per game. In all four conference games, Scott scored 15 points against Lipscomb and UNF, six against JU and 32 against Stetson.
Two other players on the offensive end include senior Nick Masterson and redshirt sophomore Tyler Hooker.
Masterson is averaging 13.7 points per game and in all four conference games, he scored 17 against Lipscomb, eight against JU, 24 against UNF and 28 against Stetson.
Hooker is averaging 11.2 points per game. In all four conference games, Hooker has scored seven against Lipscomb, 16 against JU, five against UNF and six against Stetson.
Series History:
FGCU is 16-6 against Kennesaw. The Eagles swept the Owls in the season series winning 78-75 at Kennesaw and 75-63 at home. The Eagles also beat the Owls in the semifinals of the A-SUN Conference Tournament winning 74-62. Kennesaw's last win was on February 10, 2011 where the Owls swept the series winning 81-70 at FGCU and 69-68 at home.
Both games will be on ESPN livestream on February 20. The women will play first at 2 PM and the men will follow at 4:30 PM.
FGCU MBB vs Lipscomb Recap
In a tough battle of conference play, the FGCU men's basketball (13-8, 4-0 A-SUN) continued their hot streak as they won against Lipscomb (11-8, 1-3 A-SUN) by a score of 88-83.
After being down 40-48 in the first half and being behind by as high as 18 points, the Eagles miraculously came back and found the sparks that they needed to beat the Bison from not just their starters, but from their bench too.
For the starters, redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin that led the way offensively for the Eagles. Goodwin finished with 22 points (8-for-15 FG, 6-for-9 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and three steals. With his 22 points, Goodwin is now five points away from being the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 points
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson finished with 14 points (5-for-8 FG, 2-for-5 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and three steals.
Redshirt junior Ricky Doyle finished with four points, three rebounds and one block.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore finished with 10 points (3-for-5 FG, 3-for-4 3FG, 1-for-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius had 12 points (3-for-4 FG, 2-for-3 3FG, 4-for-4 FT) and one assist.
Off the bench, redshirt Antravious Simmons provided the sparks that were needed. Simmons finished with 11 points (5-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 FT) and seven rebounds.
Senior Christian Terrell had eight points, two rebounds, three assists and one block.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle had five points and four rebounds.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had two points and one assist.
Freshman Brian Thomas also played in the game.
Freshman Darnell Rogers and sophomore RaySean Scott Jr did not travel with the team due to a concussion.
For the Bison, junior Rob Marberry, sophomore Kenny Cooper and junior Garrison Mathews had 15 points each. Marberry added three rebounds and five assists, Cooper added four rebounds, three assists and five steals and Mathews added seven rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Michael Buckland had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Junior Eli Pepper had five points, five rebounds and one steal.
Off the Lipscomb bench, junior Matt Rose also had 15 points, one rebound and two assists.
Freshman Greg Jones had four points, two rebounds and one assist.
Sophomore Andrew Fleming had three points and one rebound.
Senior George Brammeier had three points and one rebound.
Senior Aaron Korn contributed with two rebounds.
Below are the standings for the A-SUN Conference as of January 18:
1. FGCU 4-0 (13-8 overall)
2. Jacksonville 3-1 (9-12 overall)
3. Stetson 2-2 (10-11 overall)
4. NJIT 2-2 (9-10 overall)
5. UNF 2-2 (8-13 overall
6. Lipscomb 1-3 (11-8 overall)
7. Upstate 1-3 (6-15 overall)
8. Kennesaw 1-3 (5-14 overall)
Up next, the Eagles continue conference play on the road as they travel down south to play Kennesaw on Saturday, January 20 at 4:30 PM before returning to the states to play UNF on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 PM to wrap up their three-game road trip. The games against Kennesaw and UNF will also air on ESPN livestream.
After being down 40-48 in the first half and being behind by as high as 18 points, the Eagles miraculously came back and found the sparks that they needed to beat the Bison from not just their starters, but from their bench too.
For the starters, redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin that led the way offensively for the Eagles. Goodwin finished with 22 points (8-for-15 FG, 6-for-9 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and three steals. With his 22 points, Goodwin is now five points away from being the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 points
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson finished with 14 points (5-for-8 FG, 2-for-5 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and three steals.
Redshirt junior Ricky Doyle finished with four points, three rebounds and one block.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore finished with 10 points (3-for-5 FG, 3-for-4 3FG, 1-for-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius had 12 points (3-for-4 FG, 2-for-3 3FG, 4-for-4 FT) and one assist.
Off the bench, redshirt Antravious Simmons provided the sparks that were needed. Simmons finished with 11 points (5-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 FT) and seven rebounds.
Senior Christian Terrell had eight points, two rebounds, three assists and one block.
Sophomore Christian Carlyle had five points and four rebounds.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had two points and one assist.
Freshman Brian Thomas also played in the game.
Freshman Darnell Rogers and sophomore RaySean Scott Jr did not travel with the team due to a concussion.
For the Bison, junior Rob Marberry, sophomore Kenny Cooper and junior Garrison Mathews had 15 points each. Marberry added three rebounds and five assists, Cooper added four rebounds, three assists and five steals and Mathews added seven rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Michael Buckland had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Junior Eli Pepper had five points, five rebounds and one steal.
Off the Lipscomb bench, junior Matt Rose also had 15 points, one rebound and two assists.
Freshman Greg Jones had four points, two rebounds and one assist.
Sophomore Andrew Fleming had three points and one rebound.
Senior George Brammeier had three points and one rebound.
Senior Aaron Korn contributed with two rebounds.
Below are the standings for the A-SUN Conference as of January 18:
1. FGCU 4-0 (13-8 overall)
2. Jacksonville 3-1 (9-12 overall)
3. Stetson 2-2 (10-11 overall)
4. NJIT 2-2 (9-10 overall)
5. UNF 2-2 (8-13 overall
6. Lipscomb 1-3 (11-8 overall)
7. Upstate 1-3 (6-15 overall)
8. Kennesaw 1-3 (5-14 overall)
Up next, the Eagles continue conference play on the road as they travel down south to play Kennesaw on Saturday, January 20 at 4:30 PM before returning to the states to play UNF on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 PM to wrap up their three-game road trip. The games against Kennesaw and UNF will also air on ESPN livestream.
FGCU MBB vs Lipcomb Preview
Off to a good start, the FGCU men's basketball continues conference play as they go on the road to Nashville to play Lipscomb.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles (12-8, 3-0 A-SUN) recently played NJIT at home where they were victorious, beating the Highlanders 68-54. It was redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Zach Johnson that led the way offensively. Goodwin had a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds while Johnson had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Goodwin is averaging 17.2 points and 4.9 assists per game. Johnson is averaging 14 points and 3.1 assists per game. In conference play, Johnson is averaging 18.3 points per game while Goodwin is averaging 15.3 points per game.
Rebound Improvement:
Since the start of conference, the Eagles have out-rebounded their opponents and are averaging 43.3 rebounds from the three conference games (42 vs Stetson, 47 vs Upstate, 41 vs NJIT).
Conference Standings:
The Eagles started conference in second place, but have jumped to first place in the A-SUN Conference standings.
Scouting Lipscomb:
The Bison (11-7, 1-2 A-SUN) won their opening conference game against Kennesaw winning 86-71 at Kennesaw, but after traveling to Jacksonville, Lipscomb would lose to UNF (96-102) and JU (69-87), thus falling from first place to fifth place in the conference standings.
Junior Garrison Mathews leads the way offensively. Mathews is averaging 23.3 points per game overall, which not only leads the A-SUN, but is ranked eighth in the nation. In conference, Mathews is averaging 32.7 points per game in the A-SUN. In conference, Mathews scored 43 against Kennesaw, 32 against UNF and 23 against JU.
Series History:
Overall between the two teams, the Eagles are 8-11 overall against Lipscomb. :Last series, FGCU split the series winning at Lipscomb (84-80) and losing at home (60-65).
The game is on Thursday, February 18 at 7:30 pm eastern/6:30 pm central and will air on ESPN 3.
FGCU WTEN vs FAU Preview
With a new season about to start, the FGCU women's tennis team opens their season on the road as they travel to Boca Raton to face in-state rival FAU.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles competed in the FGCU Spring Invite where they welcomed Kansas, South Carolina, Rice, Denver and Ole Miss. The matches in the invite in both singles and doubles did not count for the season.
Players to Expect:
The players that made a difference to the team last season include senior Julianna "Juje" Curtis, junior Juli Ascua, sophomore Maja Ornberg and junior Laura "Lau" Falceto Font.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles competed in the FGCU Spring Invite where they welcomed Kansas, South Carolina, Rice, Denver and Ole Miss. The matches in the invite in both singles and doubles did not count for the season.
Players to Expect:
The players that made a difference to the team last season include senior Julianna "Juje" Curtis, junior Juli Ascua, sophomore Maja Ornberg and junior Laura "Lau" Falceto Font.
Curtis, the lone senior on the team, was 13-14 in singles and 23-9 in doubles last season. Curtis primarily played doubles with Ascua and two of her doubles wins came from teaming with former USF player Brooke Lashway. In singles, Curtis played primarily between No. 4 and No. 5 singles. The West Des Moines, Iowa/Tampa, Florida native was named A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as a member of the A-SUN All-Academic Team and an ITA Scholar-Athlete.
Ascua, a native of Santa Fe, Argentina, was 16-9 in singles and 21-8 in doubles teaming majorly with Curtis last season. Ascua earned A-SUN First Team All-Conference honors for the second straight season as well as All-Academic Team recognition in her first year of eligibility and becoming an ITA Scholar-Athlete.
Ornberg, a native of Kil, Sweden, spent the entire season in #1 singles and at #2 doubles with Stampfli last season. Ornberg was 14-9 in singles and 12-10 in doubles, primarily with Stampfli. Ornberg was A-SUN Freshman of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-Conference selection, Second Team All-Conference in #2 doubles and a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team.
Font was 17-8 in singles and 7-7 in doubles last season. A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Font is a two-time All-Conference Second Team member as well as a member of the A-SUN All-Academic Team where she joins Curtis and Ascua as an ITA Scholar-Athlete.
The newcomers, freshman Madison "Maddi" Gallegos and junior Patrica "Patri" Villar will also be players to look out for. Gallegos joins FGCU after previously playing at the Colorado Connection Academy while Villar joins FGCU after transferring from the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
Scouting FAU:
The Owls (1-2, 0-1 C-USA) have already began their season. The Owls would lose their opening match to Old Dominion (2-5). The Owls beat VCU (5-2) before falling to William and Mary (3-4).
FAU will compete in the Owl Cup Hidden Dual prior to playing FGCU.
Key Players(s):
The players to watch for include sophomore Aliona Bolsova and freshman Natalia Boltinskaya.
Bolsova, a transfer from Oklahoma State, is currently ranked #2 in the nation for women's tennis. A native of Paladrugell, Spain, Bolsova has won all three of her singles matches and is 1-1 in doubles. Bolsova posted a 31-7 singles record and a 20-4 doubles record with Oklahoma and was a member of Big 12 Academic All-Rookie team and All Big 12 Second Team in doubles.
Boltinskaya, a native of Moscow, ranked No. 23 with over 120 singles wins and 80 doubles wins in Tennis Europe and ranked as high as No. 174 in the ITF, boasting 53 singles wins and 50 doubles victories on the ITF circuit. Boltinskaya owns a singles mark of 122-53 and is 82-34 in doubles action.
Series History:
In the series between the two teams, FGCU is 5-4 against FAU. Last time both teams met was at FGCU. The Eagles would beat the Owls 5-2 on February 12, 2017. FAU's last win was on February 12, 2012 where the Owls won 4-3.
The matches will start on Wednesday, January 24 at 11 AM
FGCU Baseball vs. Eastern Michigan Preview
With last year's season in the books, the FGCU baseball team returns to the mounds as they will open their first four games of the season against Eastern Michigan at home.
Last year, the Eagles went 43-20 with a 13-8 record in the A-SUN. During the season, FGCU had some strong moments that set the bar for them:
1. Had two 10-game winning streaks (February 25-March 11, March 15-31).
2. Beat the then #1 and #2 teams in the nation sweeping Florida and beating Florida State.
3. Clinched an automatic spot in the NCAA national tournament.
4. Won the A-SUN Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.
5. Ranked as high as #9 in the nation in the NCAA Top 25 Polls.
FGCU won the A-SUN Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. After shutting out UNF, the Eagles would lose to Kennesaw, dropping into the losers' bracket. After defeating No. 6 seed Lipscomb, the Eagles bounced back and defeated Kennesaw in a rematch and would face Jacksonville in the championship. Because they lost a prior game, the Eagles played in the championship game twice. Had they lost, JU would go on the national tournament, but in the end, the Eagles won twice and clinched the automatic spot for the national tournament. The Eagles played in the Chapel Hill Regional for the tournament. They would beat Michigan, but would fall to Davidson and host UNC thus being eliminated from the tournament.
Tough Losses:
FGCU lost three key players as pitcher Kutter Crawford, infielder Julio Gonzalez and pitcher Garrett Anderson were selected to be in the MLB Draft. Crawford was selected to the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round, Gonzalez was selected in the 17th round to the Kansas City Royals and Anderson was selected in the 38th round to the Tampa Bay Rays.
In addition, Nick Rivera returns to FGCU as the director of baseball operations. Rivera was not only the A-SUN Player of the Year, but he holds the record for most career home runs in the A-SUN (46) as well as other records in conference and in the nation.
New Additions:
The Eagles signed 11 newcomers to play (seven freshman, four transfers).
The freshman to expect include Tyler Shuck and Brian Ellis.
Shuck is listed as a right-handed pitcher and infielder. A Cape Coral native, Shuck is rated a top-120 player in Florida and top-500 player nationally. As a pitcher, Shuck posted a career 15-3 record with a 1.74 ERA and as a batter, he was a career .373 hitter with 13 home runs and 101 RBI.
Ellis is listed as an outfielder and first baseman. Like Chuck, Ellis is also rated a top-150 player in Florida and top-500 player nationally. Ellis turned in a .414/.553/.606 slash line with 19 RBI and 13 extra-base hits his senior season.
All four transfers are from NJCAA colleges. Transfers to keep eyes on include Justin Gill and Kohl Gilmore.
Gill, listed as a left-handed pitcher, transferred from Polk State College as a junior, where he posted a 6-4 record with a 2.29 ERA. He led the team with 73 strikeouts and was named a First Team All-Suncoast Conference member.
Gilmore is listed as a first baseman/third baseman. Kohl enter as a redshirt sophomore transferring from Indian River State College. In Gilmore's last season, he led the team with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 42 games played and turned in a .978 fielding percentage at first base. He will have three years of eligibility remaining as an Eagle.
Key Returners:
Some of the key returners include redshirt seniors Kenton Hering and Mario Leon, sophomore Richie Garcia and seniors Eli Lovell and Spencer Levine.
Hering, who was mainly the setup relief pitcher, was second on the team in saves behind former closer Sterling Koerner. Hering posted a 7-3 record with a 1.96 ERA. Hering will most likely be the closer for the Eagles. Hering was named to the last year's A-SUN All-Tournament Team for his success in the postseason including his strong performance against Kennesaw where he threw 2.1 scoreless innings and struck out six batters.
Leon, a right-handed pitcher who posted a 5-2 record with a 4.70 ERA, bounced back and forth between being in the starting rotation and the bullpen. It is not fully clear where he will play, but I'm guessing it will be the same route from last season.
Garcia, an infielder who is known for his catchy walk-up song, posted a .279 batting average with six home runs and 37 RBIs. Garcia was named A-SUN Freshman of the Year and a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.
Lovell, an outfielder who transferred from Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), batted .283 with 60 hits, six home runs and 40 RBIs.
Levine, a catcher who tfrom Seminole State College (FL), was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List as one of the nation’s top catchers in early March last season. Levine batted .284 with five home runs and 38 RBIs.
Scouting Eastern Michigan:
The Eastern Michigan Eagles were 27-35 overall with a 14-10 record in the MAC. After losing the open game in the MAC Conference Tournament to Western Michigan (5-6 (10)), they went on to beat Northern Illinois (8-7), a rematch with Western Michigan (12-6) and Central Michigan (9-1, 4-2) before falling to Ohio (4-7) in the championship game.
New Additions:
Eastern Michigan signed nine freshman and eight junior college transfers.
Eastern Michigan will be losing players like John Montgomery and Sam Delaplane. Delaplane was drafted to the Seattle Mariners in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft.
Series History:
FGCU and Eastern Michigan have played each other in one game last season. FGCU beat Eastern Michigan 12-5 on Wednesday February 22, 2017.
FGCU and Eastern Michigan will play each other four times. They will play a doubleheader on Friday at 2 PM and 5:30 PM, Saturday at 1 PM and Sunday at 1 PM. It is not clear what color outing it will be, but if I had to guess from the previous home opening season, it would be either a blue out or a green out and marketing would encourage fans to wear blue or green to the game.
Last year, the Eagles went 43-20 with a 13-8 record in the A-SUN. During the season, FGCU had some strong moments that set the bar for them:
1. Had two 10-game winning streaks (February 25-March 11, March 15-31).
2. Beat the then #1 and #2 teams in the nation sweeping Florida and beating Florida State.
3. Clinched an automatic spot in the NCAA national tournament.
4. Won the A-SUN Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.
5. Ranked as high as #9 in the nation in the NCAA Top 25 Polls.
FGCU won the A-SUN Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. After shutting out UNF, the Eagles would lose to Kennesaw, dropping into the losers' bracket. After defeating No. 6 seed Lipscomb, the Eagles bounced back and defeated Kennesaw in a rematch and would face Jacksonville in the championship. Because they lost a prior game, the Eagles played in the championship game twice. Had they lost, JU would go on the national tournament, but in the end, the Eagles won twice and clinched the automatic spot for the national tournament. The Eagles played in the Chapel Hill Regional for the tournament. They would beat Michigan, but would fall to Davidson and host UNC thus being eliminated from the tournament.
Tough Losses:
FGCU lost three key players as pitcher Kutter Crawford, infielder Julio Gonzalez and pitcher Garrett Anderson were selected to be in the MLB Draft. Crawford was selected to the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round, Gonzalez was selected in the 17th round to the Kansas City Royals and Anderson was selected in the 38th round to the Tampa Bay Rays.
In addition, Nick Rivera returns to FGCU as the director of baseball operations. Rivera was not only the A-SUN Player of the Year, but he holds the record for most career home runs in the A-SUN (46) as well as other records in conference and in the nation.
New Additions:
The Eagles signed 11 newcomers to play (seven freshman, four transfers).
The freshman to expect include Tyler Shuck and Brian Ellis.
Shuck is listed as a right-handed pitcher and infielder. A Cape Coral native, Shuck is rated a top-120 player in Florida and top-500 player nationally. As a pitcher, Shuck posted a career 15-3 record with a 1.74 ERA and as a batter, he was a career .373 hitter with 13 home runs and 101 RBI.
Ellis is listed as an outfielder and first baseman. Like Chuck, Ellis is also rated a top-150 player in Florida and top-500 player nationally. Ellis turned in a .414/.553/.606 slash line with 19 RBI and 13 extra-base hits his senior season.
All four transfers are from NJCAA colleges. Transfers to keep eyes on include Justin Gill and Kohl Gilmore.
Gill, listed as a left-handed pitcher, transferred from Polk State College as a junior, where he posted a 6-4 record with a 2.29 ERA. He led the team with 73 strikeouts and was named a First Team All-Suncoast Conference member.
Gilmore is listed as a first baseman/third baseman. Kohl enter as a redshirt sophomore transferring from Indian River State College. In Gilmore's last season, he led the team with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 42 games played and turned in a .978 fielding percentage at first base. He will have three years of eligibility remaining as an Eagle.
Key Returners:
Some of the key returners include redshirt seniors Kenton Hering and Mario Leon, sophomore Richie Garcia and seniors Eli Lovell and Spencer Levine.
Hering, who was mainly the setup relief pitcher, was second on the team in saves behind former closer Sterling Koerner. Hering posted a 7-3 record with a 1.96 ERA. Hering will most likely be the closer for the Eagles. Hering was named to the last year's A-SUN All-Tournament Team for his success in the postseason including his strong performance against Kennesaw where he threw 2.1 scoreless innings and struck out six batters.
Leon, a right-handed pitcher who posted a 5-2 record with a 4.70 ERA, bounced back and forth between being in the starting rotation and the bullpen. It is not fully clear where he will play, but I'm guessing it will be the same route from last season.
Garcia, an infielder who is known for his catchy walk-up song, posted a .279 batting average with six home runs and 37 RBIs. Garcia was named A-SUN Freshman of the Year and a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.
Lovell, an outfielder who transferred from Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), batted .283 with 60 hits, six home runs and 40 RBIs.
Levine, a catcher who tfrom Seminole State College (FL), was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List as one of the nation’s top catchers in early March last season. Levine batted .284 with five home runs and 38 RBIs.
Scouting Eastern Michigan:
The Eastern Michigan Eagles were 27-35 overall with a 14-10 record in the MAC. After losing the open game in the MAC Conference Tournament to Western Michigan (5-6 (10)), they went on to beat Northern Illinois (8-7), a rematch with Western Michigan (12-6) and Central Michigan (9-1, 4-2) before falling to Ohio (4-7) in the championship game.
New Additions:
Eastern Michigan signed nine freshman and eight junior college transfers.
Eastern Michigan will be losing players like John Montgomery and Sam Delaplane. Delaplane was drafted to the Seattle Mariners in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft.
Series History:
FGCU and Eastern Michigan have played each other in one game last season. FGCU beat Eastern Michigan 12-5 on Wednesday February 22, 2017.
FGCU and Eastern Michigan will play each other four times. They will play a doubleheader on Friday at 2 PM and 5:30 PM, Saturday at 1 PM and Sunday at 1 PM. It is not clear what color outing it will be, but if I had to guess from the previous home opening season, it would be either a blue out or a green out and marketing would encourage fans to wear blue or green to the game.
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