Whitney Knight returned to action after missing the first eight games of the season due to a foot injury. Her presence was felt by the Eagles with her double-double, propelling FGCU to a 50-41 victory against the Providence Friars.
The FGCU women’s basketball team is 6-3 on the regular season after defeating Providence College on Saturday.
It was a poor night shooting for FGCU, as they shot 29 percent from the field in the first half, but they led 20-15 at the half.
FGCU’s “raining threes” were in full effect on the court, shooting 17 percent from behind the arc, making five of their attempted 28 shots from long range.
After the break, the Eagles found their rhythm, shooting 50 percent from the field, outscoring the friars 19-11 in the third quarter.
The Eagles played a solid game defensively, allowing the Friars to shoot 32 percent from the field and forced the Friars to turn the ball over 17 times.
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles rode eight points from Kaneisha Atwater to a double-digit lead in the final minutes. The Friars would try to respond back with a three, but it was too late, as the Eagles defeated the Friars by a final score of 50-41.
The Eagles enjoyed a nice advantage on the boards capitalizing on their rebounds 42-36 against the Friars, with the help of Knights’ 10 rebounds.
Leading scorers for the Eagles were Whitney Knight with 16 points and Kaneisha Atwater with 12.
FGCU returns to Alico Arena at 7 p.m Tuesday, Dec. 15 for a midweek game against the St. Thomas Bobcats.