Gulf Coast Showcase Recap

Fort Myers, FL- FGGU (2-2) dropped the first two games of the Gulf Coast Showcase to #25 Missouri State (74-49), #14 Arkansas (86-80), and defeated Davidson (84-61) in the final game Sunday.

Kierstan Bell played her first game as an Eagle Sunday, and the Eagles looked like a different team out there with her in the lineup. TK Morehouse scored 64 points in the three game tournament and earned a spot on the Gulf Coast Showcase ALL-Tournament team. Her and Kierstan will put the ASUN on notice this season.

Game 1: #25 Missouri State (1-0) 74 FGCU (1-1) 49

Stats:

FGGU shot 23% (15/64) from the field, 13.3% (6/45) from beyond the arc, were outrebounded 58-33 by MSU. The Eagles dished out 7 assists, forced 10 steals, had 3 blocks, and FGCU had 16 team turnovers, while forcing 20 MSU turnovers.

Outstanding Players:

Abby Hipp (MSU) 14 pts

TK Morehouse (FGCU) 10 pts

Game 2: #14 Arkansas (3-0) 86 FGCU (1-2) 80

Stats:

FGGU shot 48.5% (32/66) from the field, 31.4% (11/35) from beyond the arc, were outrebounded 44-36 by Arkansas. The Eagles dished out 14 assists, forced 3 steals, had 4 blocks, and the Eagles had 18 team turnovers while forcing 16 Razorback turnovers.

Outstanding Players:

Chelsea Dungee (ARK) 25 pts

TK Morehouse (FGCU) 35 pts

Game 3: FGCU (3-2) 84 Davidson (0-3) 61

Stats:

FGGU shot 46.4% (32/69) from the field, (17/48) 35.4% from beyond the arc, and were outrebounded 50-39 by Davidson. The Eagles dished out 22 assists, forced 8 steals, had 5 blocks, and while FGCU had 11 team turnovers they forced 16 Davidson turnovers.

Outstanding Players:

Chloe Welch (DU) 16 pts

Kierstan Bell (FGCU) 24 pts, 20 rebounds, 3 blocks

TK Morehouse (FGGU) 19 pts

Analysis:

FGCU struggled mightily shooting the ball in the first game of the tournament vs Missouri State but played really well in the second game vs Arkansas. It’s amazing to think what this team would have looked like all three games with Kierstan Bell starting. TK Morehouse looks like an elite guard and the starting lineup looks deep when you consider Andrea Cecil, Kierstan Bell, TK Morehouse, Maddie Antenucci, and Emma List as the core group. We have always considered Tanner Bryant as a solid stretch G/F too who can play big minutes, so the idea of having her as a starter or “6th man” type role can only help this team.

FGCU’s “bread and butter” is “raining threes” so when the Eagles aren’t scoring from beyond the arc, it can prove trouble like it did in the Missouri State game. You won’t see many games where the Eagles struggled shooting like they did in that game.

The Eagles played strongly against Arkansas and also had the lead until losing Aaliyah Stanley and TK Morehouse both to injury in the final quarter. The Razorbacks took advantage and went on a 10-0 run that eventually led to a 26-13 4th quarter and victory over FGCU.

It was a breath of fresh air to see Kierstan Bell in the starting lineup Sunday vs Davidson and the team really bounced back after the heartbreaking loss to Arkansas, the night before.

This team doesn’t look like a team that lost their top seven scorers from last season. We are super excited for ASUN conference play and to see what FGCU looks like as they run through the rest of their non-conference schedule.

What’s Next:

FGGU (2-2) remains at home to face Temple University (0-0) at 2 PM on Sunday afternoon from Alico Arena.