The FGCU Women’s Basketball team are moving on to the second round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament. The #12 Eagles defeated #5 Washington State 74-63 on March 18 in Philadelphia.

The Eagles trailed 31-32 at halftime and shot only 1-7 from the 3-point line in the first half. In the third quarter, the Eagles scored 30 points to outscored Washington State by 14 points.

The offensive breakout in the third quarter was led by Redshirt Sophomore Maddie Antenucci. Coming off the bench with a 40-38 lead, Antenucci hit three straight 3-point shots to give the Eagles a 49-40 lead midway through the third quarter.

This season, the Eagles averaged 11.8 3-point shots a game but shot 5-14 from three against Washington State. The Eagles found other ways to score and finished with a 55.6% shooting percentage.

Along with Antenucci’s 11 points off the bench, Redshirt Sophomore Kierra Adams scored 12 points to combine for 23 points off the bench.

The top scorers all season for the Eagles, Sha Carter and Tishara Morehouse, continued their success. Carter led the Eagles with 24 points and Morehouse scored 16.

Last year, the Eagles also entered the NCAA Tournament as the #12 seed and defeated #5 Virginia Tech. FGCU will play #4 Villanova in the second round of the tournament on March 20.