FGCU women topple Auburn 52-45
FGCU broke through Auburn’s heavy defensive pressure Monday night to earn a 52-45 victory at Alico Arena.
The win over the SEC foe gives the Eagles an 11-4 record in nonconference action. The win also stands as the Eagles’ second over a Power Five conference foe this season on the heels of defeating Arizona just 10 days ago.
The Eagles and Tigers (10-3) traded the lead four times and were each held scoreless for long periods of time in the early going. The Eagles took care of the ball and held a 23-20 edge at halftime.
Baskets by Taylor Gradinjan and DyTiesha Dunson sparked a nine-point run to start the second half to extend the lead. The Eagles increased the advantage to a game-high 13 points midway through the third quarter and held on through the final whistle.
“We thought that the key to the game would be taking care of the ball,” said Eagles coach Karl Smesko. “We knew we couldn’t turn it over. Auburn is so good at forcing turnovers and turning those turnovers into points. I thought our team did a good job of getting open, working together and taking care of the basketball.”
Gradinjan led all players with 16 points. The sophomore sank four long-range shots and was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line late in the game. She also paced the team with six rebounds and added one assist and one steal.
Dunson added 14 points with another four 3-pointers. Senior Whitney Knight scored six points for the Eagles. With the five blocks, Knight jumps ahead two positions in the Atlantic Sun record books with 250 career blocks. She stands tied for third in A-Sun history and is just 40 shy of the all-time record.
The Eagles welcome Hartford (4-8) to Alico Arena for the final nonconference contest of the season at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The women follow their male counterparts contest tipping at 4 p.m. against Eckerd.