FGCU seals NCAA trip
Backed by a tremendous defensive effort, the 20th ranked FGCU women’s basketball team earned a trip to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Wednesday night with a 62-42 semifinal win over Jacksonville.
The win, their 24th straight, also clinches a trip to their third NCAA?Tournament appearance in four seasons. The Eagles (29-2) can earn the conference’s automatic berth with a championship game victory Sunday afternoon over Northern Kentucky. NKU defeated Stetson 53-52 in Wednesday’s other semifinal match.
The Eagles’ win was fueled by defensive pressure against the Dolphins. They forced 27 turnovers, the most of any opponent all season, and scored 38 points on Jacksonville miscues. The Eagles grabbed 12 steals and blocked six shots.
“It’s definitely a good win for us,” said Eagles coach Karl Smesko. “I thought we did a good job defensively, especially against their best scorers. For the first half, we did a great job on them defensively. Offensively, we were not as sharp as we would like to be. They dared us to shoot and we did not shoot it well.
“Our activity level was not as good and we did not work together as well as we’re going to need to. There are some things to clean up before Sunday, but I’m proud of the team and the fact that we’re back in a conference tournament championship. We are very much looking forward to Sunday.”
FGCU made just nine turnovers on the night and dished out 14 assists.
Senior Jenna Cobb paced all players with a season-high 20 points and six rebounds. Cobb went 9-for-13 from the field and grabbed four steals with three assists for her second-straight double-figure performance. Kaneisha Atwater and Taylor Gradinjan each added 11 points with three long-range baskets in the 20-point victory.
Cobb got things started quickly for the Eagles with back-to-back layups in the opening minute. With a 4-2 lead, Whitney Knight added five straight points to give the Eagles their first strong lead of the game at 9-2 just five minutes in.
Baskets by Cobb, Anthi Chatzigiakoumi and Stephanie Haas extended FGCU’s lead to 31-14 at the break.
With the win, the Eagles advanced to the A-Sun final for the fourth time in four years of postseason eligibility at the NCAA?Division I level.