FGCU WBB downs Stetson 57-55

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Despite trailing by 15 in the second half and compiling the lowest field-goal percentage of the season, the FGCU women’s basketball pulled off an incredible come-from-behind 57-55 victory over Stetson Saturday evening at Alico Arena. The Eagles open the Atlantic Sun slate with a 1-0 record for the sixth-consecutive season and move to 14-2 overall, while the Hatters fall to 11-4 on the season and 0-1 in conference action.

The Eagles’ dismal shooting percentage in the first half enabled the Hatters to take a 34-25 lead into the break. However, just as in all three contests last season, the Eagles overcame a halftime deficit to challenge Stetson late in the game. The Green and Blue allowed the visitors to take a 15-point lead near the 12-minute mark but constructed a 12-0 run to close the gap with fewer than eight minutes remaining. Senior Jenna Cobb (New Holland, Ohio/Miami Trace High School/Butler) tied the game at 53 on a 3-pointer with 1:51 on the clock and pushed the Eagles ahead on a 3-point play just 30 seconds later. FGCU held the Hatters to no field goals on seven attempts to end the game and maintained the advantage in front of the home crowd.

The win extended FGCU’s win streak in A-Sun games at home to 56 games and increased this season’s win streak to nine games.

“This is another game against Stetson that went down to the very last play,” said head coach Karl Smesko. “I thought Stetson played really well and had us on the ropes a couple times. I’m proud of our team, the way we didn’t give up and the way we hung in there despite our struggles offensively. We kept working on the defensive end and we were able to hang in there so that when we finally did make a couple shots it was just enough to win the game.”

Junior Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) led the Eagles with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Knight sank five 3-pointers and put up 10 points in the last 11 minutes to lead the Green and Blue comeback. Cobb and DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) each added nine points in the instant classic, while Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) had eight points and six rebounds.

Atwater, Cobb, Dunson and Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) all had three assists for the Eagles, with Cobb leading the way with four steals and Knight blocking three shots.

As a unit, the Eagles shot just 29.4 percent overall and 22.4 percent from 3-point range. Despite the season-low success rate, the Eagles sank 11 3-point shots. The Hatters converted 39.6 percent of their shots with a 31.3 percent clip from long range. The Hatters also outrebounded the Eagles 48-36, but let the home team produce 21 points off of 23 turnovers.

In her first start of the season, senior Anthi Chatzigiakoumi (Athens, Greece/General Senior High School of Kallithea) scored the Eagles’ first-five points of the game. However, Stetson scored on each of its first-six possessions to take an early 13-8 lead.

FGCU used strong defensive pressure to force multiple turnovers and hold the Hatters scoreless for nearly seven minutes through the midpoint of the first half. During that period, the Eagles scored eight points to reclaim the lead but it was short lived. The teams traded buckets to tie the game at 25 with four minutes to play before Stetson sparked an 11-0 run to end the half. The Eagles remained scoreless in the final 4:33 of the first stanza and went into the break with a 34-25 deficit.

The Eagles’ poor shooting was most evident in the first half, when they shot 27.8 percent from the field and just 18.2 percent from 3-point range. Stetson sank 48.3 percent of its shot attempts and outrebounded FGCU 29-14 to hold the advantage.

The Hatters extended their lead on their opening possession but a 3-pointer from Dunson broke the team’s 3-point silence. The Eagles fought the Stetson lead but were met with retaliation on every bucket. A 9-2 run, including six-straight points, increased the Hatter advantage to 15 points with 13 minutes to play. As the Eagles faced their largest deficit of the season, Smesko called timeout to give the team a chance to regroup.

After seeing the team go 1-for-10 from 3-point range to start the second half, Redshirt-freshman Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner with 12:35 on the clock to spark the Eagles’ offense. Dunson followed with a single free throw before an Atwater layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from Knight combined for a 12-point run for the Eagles.

Knights’ second 3-pointer in as many possessions brought the score to 45-42 with 7:27 to play and sent the crowd into a frenzy as FGCU took hold of the game’s momentum.

Stetson senior Jama Sharp used a long-range shot and a layup to extend the Stetson lead back to nine points near the six-minute mark but after the Hatters were called for a double dribble, Dunson knocked down a shot from the left side to push the score to 52-46 in favor of the visitors.

After the teams traded a single free throw with four minutes to play, Knight sank a 3-ball from the top of the arc to bring the score within three. FGCU and Stetson traded empty possessions over the next two minutes to hold the score at 53-50 with two minutes to play.

With 1:56 on the clock, Haas blocked Stetson’s layup attempt and Knight grabbed the rebound. FGCU executed the play so that Atwater hit Cobb on the right side where the senior captain sank a long-range shot to knot the score at 53. Just 30 seconds later, FGCU capitalized on another Stetson missed layup and dished the ball to Cobb at midcourt. She dribbled to the right side of the rim and was fouled on the made layup. The bucket plus one successful shot from the free-throw line gave FGCU its first lead of the half at 56-53 with 1:20 left to play. Cobb’s 3-point play capped a 13-1 run for the Eagles, who reclaimed the lead after eight-lead changes in the game.

Stetson called timeout and made two free throws with 49 seconds to play but the Eagles held onto the lead. After an FGCU turnover with 24 seconds to go, Dunson took a charge as the Hatters were called for an offensive foul with 5.4 on the clock. Knight sank one free throw in the final seconds to seal the victory for the home team and give the Eagles their ninth win over the Hatters in the last 10 meetings.

As winners of nine straight, the Eagles continue A-Sun action Wednesday, Jan. 14 with the Ospreys of North Florida. FGCU will host UNF at Alico Arena with a 7 p.m. tipoff before traveling to Jacksonville for a weekend matchup with the Dolphins Jan. 17.