The duo of redshirt senior Keri Jewett-Giles and redshirt junior Kerstie Phills led a balanced offensive attack as the No. 22 FGCU women's basketball team (27-2, 14-0) defeated NJIT 68-39 on the road in the Wellness and Events Center on Saturday for the program's 200th all-time regular season conference win.
"We had a lot of people contribute, which was nice," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "We got off to a good start and opened up a nice lead in the first quarter, which is how we want to come out and start the game. I thought a real bright spot today was Kerstie Phills, who got a number of steals and rebounded the ball. She was excellent."
Jewett-Giles led all players in scoring with 16 points while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. She tied redshirt junior Anja Marinkovic for the game-high in made 3-point field goals (4), as well. Marinkovic went 4-for-6 from long distance for 12 points to finish second on the team in scoring amidst a season-high 18 minutes off the bench. Phills chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals.
The victory represented FGCU's 200th all-time ASUN regular season victory in just its 216th game. They have won 16 straight overall as well as 42 in a row against conference competition, and they are 14-0 all-time against NJIT.
FGCU finished 18-for-51 from 3-point range, which was just one short of their season-high for makes as the Eagles produced 10 players with at least one make from long distance.
Senior Tytionia Adderly, who battled foul trouble against the Highlanders, had five rebounds to move into a tie for third place in ASUN history for career rebounds. The senior forward also passed Sarah Hansen (508, 2010-14) for the program's most career rebounds in A-SUN play.
For the second time this season, the fifth time against NJIT and the 21st time in program history, the Green and Blue held a conference opponent under 40 points.
With her 16-point performance, Jewett-Giles not only eclipsed 1,400 career points, but she moved within six points of becoming just the fourth player in the program's Division I era to produce a 500-point single-season, joining Kaneisha Atwater (569, 2015-16), Sarah Hansen (555, 2012-13) and Whitney Knight (504, 2014-15). She is also on pace to break the program's single-season scoring average record, and she eclipsed 900 points in her FGCU career alone, where she now sits at 903.
The Eagles have now made 350 3-pointers this season, which not only leads the nation, but allows them to become the 17th team in NCAA Division I history to reach that benchmark, which includes the fourth such instance from FGCU alone.
Up Next:
The Eagles, who have already clinched this year's regular season title and the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament, will conclude the regular season at home with games against North Alabama on Saturday and Jacksonville on Monday.
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