Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a 76-71 game at home against Houston on Wednesday, November 28. This will be the Eagles' third road trip of the season. The win was head coach Karl Smesko's 501st win of his career as he remains the third highest active winning coach in the nation
Since transferring from Southern Miss, Jewett-Giles has led the Eagles on the tear. The hometown hero of Ft. Myers is averaging 15.7 points per game, along with 2.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Jewett-Giles had 14 points, three rebounds and five assists
Ulel is averaging 14.6 points per game. In five straight games, she has scored at least 10 points or higher. The Murrieta, California native had 17 points and three rebounds.
Redshirt senior Lisa Zderadicka has also been a key factor for the Eagles offensively. Zderadicka is averaging 10.3 points and leads the team in steals (12). The Vienna, Austria native had 15 points and one steal against Houston.
Although she's had some foul trouble recently, junior Tytionia Adderly is still averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. In her last game against Houston, Adderly had eight rebounds with two being on the offensive end before fouling out.
With her two offensive rebounds against Houston, the Jupiter native has 252 in her career, and already passed Adrianne McNally (240, 2006-10) for second all-time and is 78 away from passing Sarah Hansen (329, 2010-14) as the all-time leader in career offensive rebounds.
Adderly's eight rebounds passed Courtney Chihil (603, 2008-12) for fifth all-time as she became the sixth player in program history to record at least 600 career rebounds.
Off the bench, it's been redshirt sophomore Chandler Ryan and redshirt senior Destiny Washington that have helped balance the bench.
Ryan was named A-SUN Player of the Week as a result of her performance as she had one of her best games against Houston, finishing with a career-high 19 points with 12 being behind the arc. Ryan is averaging 8.9 points per game and leads the team in three pointers made (18).
“Chandler really came up big for us against Houston," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "It wasn't just her offense. She really competed on the defensive end, as well."
Washington has been on roll defensively. The Ball State/Loyola Chicago transfer, who earned her first start of the season as an Eagle, is averaging 5.3 points per game, leads the team in blocks (10) and is second in rebounds per game (5). Washington finished with four points, seven rebounds and two blocks against Houston.
Two other players that have been effective off the bench are sophomore Alyssa Blair and redshirt sophomore Kerstie Phills.
Blair is averaging 5.1 points per game. In the game against Houston, Blair had two points and two rebounds.
Starting six of the team's seven games, Phills is averaging 4.7 points per game. Although she was held scoreless, Phills was able to get two rebounds and an assist against Houston.
Among The Nation's Best:
FGCU will enter Wednesday ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in:
Fewest turnovers per game - 28th, 13.3
Scoring offense - 30th, 80.7
Assist/turnover ratio - 40th, 1.13
Fewest turnovers - 48th, 93
Field goal percentage - 49th, 45.0
In addition, the Eagles are ranked 13th in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Poll.
The Red Flash are coming off of a 73-93 loss to Duquesne at home and a 91-88 win against Longwood University on the road. The Red Flash's first win was against DII Seton Hill (86-74).
Offensively, senior Jess Kovatch and sophomore Karson Swogger lead the team. Kovatch had 20 points against Duquesne and was 7-7 at the free throw line while against Longwood, she had 22 points.
Kovatch is averaging 17.2 points while also being named a senior candidate for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award. The award honors a student-athlete who must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Kovatch is one of thirty NCAA women's basketball student-athletes and the only Northeast Conference player selected as a candidate today.
Senior Courtney Zezza has also been effective for the Red Flash as she averages five rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while scoring 8.5 points per game. Zezza had four points, eight rebounds and three blocks against Duquesne while against Longwood she had 18 points and four rebounds.
Series History:
This will be the second time both teams play each other. The first time was on December 20, 2013 where the Eagles defeated the Red Flash 75-68 at the Alico Arena when assistant coach Jenna Cobb, now Ohio assistant coach Stephanie Haas and professional player Whitney Knight were playing.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and will air on NEC Front Row. The commentators for the game will be Bernie Jubeck and Matt Popelka.
Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WBB
Saint Francis: @RedFlashWBB
For Saint Francis, they will be doing Toys for Tots Day as they give back to the community with a toy drive for kids.
ESPN+:
FGCU will air on the subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, the new home for all A-SUN sports. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards.
Livestats Link: https://sfuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Livestream link: http://necfrontrow.com/webcast.php/SFPA-5956/
Audio Link: https://www.iheart.com/live/the-sports-animal-1390-2760/
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