ORLANDO, Fla. --- Kierstan Bell continued her incredible start to the season as the junior poured in a game-high 31 points to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (4-0) to an 88-57 win over Manhattan (2-1) in the opener of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge in the HP Fieldhouse at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex on Friday.
The Eagles have won 26 straight regular season games dating back to Nov. 29 of last year and will be back in action on Saturday at 12 p.m. against Fairfield.
"We played a very good first half," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "We need to do a better job on the boards but we did share the ball. Our shooters were down and ready, which led to a good percentage."
Bell (Alliance, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS/Ohio State) finished 12-for-21 from the field, which included a 5-for-11 performance from long distance. She added nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Buckeye State native has scored 20-plus points in each of the season's first four games, including back-to-back 30-plus point outings. In all, she's totaled 111 points over that stretch.
It wasn't just Bell leading the offense as Kendall Spray made 6-of-8 from long distance for 19 points. The nation's leader in 3-point field goals made three off the bench before the first media timeout and now has 20 through four games. On Friday, she also contributed four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tishara Morehouse (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King/Western Nebraska) reached double figures in scoring with 11 on 4-for-8 shooting off the bench. Emma List (Colorado Springs, Colo./Discovery Canyon Campus/Albany) had a game-high seven assists.
As a team, FGCU finished 18-for-40 (.450) from long distance in what was the team's third game with 14-or-more over four games.
The Green and Blue led 27-23 early in the second quarter before scoring 10 straight and 21 of the game's next 25 points to seize control. Spray (Mt. Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central/Clemson/UT Martin) started the run with a free throw and Bell added a three-point play while Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian/Wagner) and Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy/Eastern Michigan) made 3-pointers for the initial 10 points.
Following that, Andrea Cecil (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor/BGSU) got her first points of the season with a pair of free throws before Spray (2) and Bell (1) combined for three consecutive 3-pointers as FGCU opened up a 48-27 lead with 2:23 left in the half. Karli Seay (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor/LSU), who got her first start in the Green and Blue, closed the half with a layup as the Eagles netted 50 points in the first 20 minutes.
FGCU opened the second half in a rut offensively, finishing just 5-for-16 from the field in the third. Bell, however, went 4-for-9 with nine points and four rebounds to help the Eagles finish the quarter 4-for-7 and maintain a 19-point lead.
If the lead wasn't comfortable enough, the Eagles poured in 17 of the first 23 points in the final quarter, getting contributions off the bench from Maddie Antenucci (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) (5) and Kierra Adams (Lawrenceville, Ga./Brookwood) (2) late. A 3-pointer from Bell with 6:05 left helped her eclipse 30 points as she sat the final five minutes with the game in hand.
Notes
FGCU is now 6-1 all-time against the MAAC with three straight wins.
The Eagles continued its strong 3-point defense, holding Manhattan to a 2-for-12 finish from 3-point range. They entered the game holding opponents to just 11.1 percent from long distance.
Bell's offensive performance was her seventh career 30-plus point performance, including her 15th with 25-plus and 25th with 20-plus.
For complete coverage of the women's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_WBB, on Facebook at /fgcuwbb and online at www.FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU women's basketball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
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COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko maintains a record of 584-125 (.823) overall in his career, which is the third-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and Baylor's Kim Mulkey. He has also led the Eagles to a 217-17 (.927) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 27-2 (.931) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past 10 seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 153-5 (.968) record in conference play with six undefeated seasons. The 11-time ASUN Coach of the Year has led the program to 11-straight 25-win seasons and 17-consecutive 20-win campaigns, including 30-plus wins in four of the past seven years. On top of all that, the Eagles are 523-98 (.842) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green and Blue's .821 all-time winning percentage is the best in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
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FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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Bell Drops 31, Leads Women's Basketball Past Manhattan 88-57 - FGCU Athletics
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