FGCU’s women’s basketball team swept its returning weekend after being on the road for four games. They defeated the Bellarmine Knights, 80-63, on Jan. 23 and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, 86-56, on Jan. 25, to continue the team’s undefeated Atlantic Sun (ASUN) conference record.
The Eagles (17-3) started the game with a dominant first quarter, outscoring the Knights 24-10 in the first ten minutes.
Fifth-year shooter Lauryn Taylor was among the top scorers of the half, earning six points and six rebounds. She ended the game with 15 points and registered her fifth double-double.
“My goal has definitely changed in terms of basketball, Taylor said. “I have basically molded my game to fit FGCU style basketball, so just coming in, doing what I was told to do, doing what I do best.”
In the second quarter, the Eagles carried their early momentum to a 22-point lead with five minutes left until halftime. Bellarmine cut the lead deficit to 17 points, 44-27, to enter the half.
Toward the end of the third period, the team broke 60 points, fifth-year shooter Emani Jefferson made a quick layup in the paint with a free throw.
Senior shooter Skyler Gill made a three-pointer in the last minute of the quarter to make the score 64-44.
As the final period of the match began, the Bellarmine Knights stole the ball from the Eagles and attempted to make a three-pointer. Jefferson made a rebound to get the ball back, and the team began ‘Raining 3s’.
Fifth-year shooter Dolly Cairns made two three-pointers in two minutes, breaking the 70-point milestone for the game. Up to this point, the team has made 12-33 of their three-pointers (36.4%).
To end the match, Taylor made two layup shots in the last minute, pushing the Eagles up to 80 points, with the Knights still behind at 60. Bellarmine made a last-ditch three-pointer, but after the team made the shot, the game’s score held steady at 80-63.
“We did a really good job in the first half defending, but we play them again in two weeks, so we’ve got to clean some things up before we go up there and play them again,” FGCU coach Chelsea Lyles said.
The second game of the weekend saw the Eagles double their lead, beating the Colonels 86-56, to win their tenth game in a row.
Redshirt junior shooter Cerina Rolle made the first three-pointer of the game, with the Eagles continuing the pace set by Rolle through the first quarter.
The team made 9-15 in the paint (60%), 2-5 of their three-pointers (40%), and both of their free throws, with the first period ending with the Eagles in the lead at 22-17.
In the second quarter, FGCU made 6-16 of their shots in the key (37.5%), 2-8 of their three-pointers (25%) and all six free throws. The Eagles were able to hold an 18-point lead against the Colonels with help from Taylor and Cairns. Taylor made two layups, and Cairns made a final three-pointer to give the Eagles a 42-24 lead at the half.
In the third period, the team gained a dominant lead against EKU. FGCU’s score rose by 23 points, and their lead widened by 12, with the match at 65-35. The Eagles made half of their 20 field-goal attempts (50%), 2-4 of their three-pointers (50%), and 1-3 of their free-throw attempts (50%).
In the final quarter, the Eagles steamrolled through, with the team making 7-11 shots in the paint (63.6%), 3-5 of three-pointers (60%) and all our free throws.
The game ended as the Eagles maintained their lead, winning 86-56.
“[We’re] just trying to get better every day,” FGCU coach Chelsea Lyles said. “We had a lot of new players, but they’re starting to come into their own and playing well right now, which is really good with where we’re at the conference.”
