The FGCU women's basketball team (20-4, 11-0 A-SUN) overcame the absence of two starters and a 3-for-33 performance from 3-point range to produce a 61-42 win over NJIT (5-18, 2-8 A-SUN) in Alico Arena on Tuesday and push its winning streak to 11. The Eagles, who are the nation's No. 3 ranked team in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, are now 11-0 all-time against NJIT dating back to March 6, 2008.
"We were short-handed, and you could tell especially early, but that's part of it, whether it's injuries or other things, " FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Sometimes other people have to step up and contribute. I thought Nas in particular, and Lisa had outstanding games. They raised their level of play. Ty had a good second half where she really attacked the boards. I thought Davion made some nice plays and made some good drives off the bench."
With the victory, FGCU clinched at least a home quarterfinal game in this year's A-SUN Championship. Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. this Friday to reserve their same seats for all potential rounds of the tournament. Quarterfinal tickets will then go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21.
Redshirt senior Lisa Zderadicka, who was honored prior to the game for reaching 1,000 career NCAA points this past weekend, led all scorers with a season-high 19 points. In fact, it was the most points she's scored in a game in nearly two seasons with the Green and Blue, and she finished 7-for-15 from the field while adding a game-high four steals, three rebounds, two assists and a block.
Junior Nasrin Ulel chipped in 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal on 7-for-13 shooting. She became the 16th player in program history to record at least 800 career points and now sits at 812 through 86 contests. Furthermore, Ulel is now just 51 points away from surpassing Rosemarie Julien (862, 2016-18) and moving into the top 10 on the program's Division-I era career scoring list.
Junior Tytionia Adderly battled foul trouble, but tied a season-high in rebounds with 16 while chipping in six points. Her career total is tied for fifth-most in a game in Alico Arena history. In fact, it was the fourth time she's recorded at least that many at home.
Early on, the Green and Blue struggled, shooting 0-for-7 from 3-point range and falling behind 13-12 through the first 10 minutes. In the second quarter, FGCU held NJIT to a 3-for-14 finish and just nine points, which was the 14th time in A-SUN play that the Eagles have held an opponent to single digits.
The second half featured just 20 points allowed by FGCU's defense. Offensively, five different players scored in the third quarter. Redshirt junior Davion Wingate (5) and redshirt sophomore Kerstie Phills (4) then combined for nine points in the final frame to put the game away.
Up Next:
FGCU will hit the road to battle Stetson on Saturday at 1 p.m. in DeLand, Fla. before traveling to Lipscomb on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tilt. The team returns home Saturday, Feb. 23 for a 4 p.m. game against Kennesaw State, which will be senior day.
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