The Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball team rolled over North Florida 56-24 Wednesday night. The swarming Eagles defense showed they can defend on the road, holding the Ospreys to 24 points, the fewest points an FGCU opponent has ever scored. The Eagles improve to 26-2 on the year with an unblemished in conference record of 13-0.
The win over UNF extends FGCU’s current win streak to 21 consecutive games, matching the program’s DI record. The Eagles’ win streak sits only behind No. 1 Connecticut and No. 14 Princeton in the entire nation.
The Eagles kept the defensive pressure on UNF throughout the game, limiting the Ospreys to 18 percent shooting from the field and forcing 19 turnovers. The first half included a nine-minute stretch where the Eagles’ tight defense held their opponent without a field goal.
The first half was not indicative of the Eagles usual offensive pace, being limited to shooting 29.2 percent. A late 11-point run in the second half included three-consecutive 3-pointers as the FGCU women picked up the scoring, finishing at a respectable 37.3 percent. Junior Kaneisha Atwater set the tempo with a team-high 13 points while teammate Whitney Knight helped out with 11 points and two blocks.
“Our offensive execution wasn’t great tonight. We didn’t have a lot of movement but we did a pretty good job on the defensive end,” Coach Karl Smesko said in a previous statement.
The Eagles seek their program record 22nd-straight win in their next and final regular season game as they host Jacksonville 7 p.m. Saturday night.