Villanova, PA- #12 seed, and #22 nationally ranked FGCU (33-3) faces #4 seed and #10 nationally ranked, Villanova University (29-6), Monday night at 7 PM, from Finneran Pavilion in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

Stats (#12 FGCU):

#12 FGCU averages 77.9 ppg, shoot 48.0% (1021/2128) from the field, and 37.6% (418/1113) from beyond the arc. The Eagles average 33.2 team rebounds per game. #12 FGCU dishes out 17.7 assists, 9.1 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game. The Eagles average 12.3 team turnovers per game.

Stats (#4 NOVA):

#4 Villanova averages 70.8 ppg, shoot 43.8% (925/2110) from the field, and 33.6% () from beyond the arc. The Wildcats average 36.3 team rebounds per game. #4 Villanova dishes out 16.7 assists, 6.5 steals, and 5.5 blocks per game. The Wildcats average 10.2 team turnovers per game.

3 Players To Watch For (#12 FGCU):

5’3 5th G TK Morehouse 15.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg

-ASUN Conference Player of the Year

-ALL-ASUN 1st Team Member

6’0 5th G Sha Carter 14.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg

-ALL-ASUN 1st Team Member

5’8 R-JR G Alyza Winston 12.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg

-ALL-ASUN 3rd Team Member

3 Players To Watch For (#4 NOVA):

6’2 SR F Maddy Siegrist 29.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg

Accolades (Senior year):

-BIG EAST Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year

-2023 Katrina McClain Award Finalist

-Named to the Wooden Award, Wade Trophy, Naismith Award and USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason watch lists

-BIG EAST Player of the Week (Nov. 14, Dec. 26, Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Feb. 13, Feb. 28)

-USBWA National Player of the Week (Dec. 29, Feb. 14)

-Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week (Feb. 14)

-BIG EAST Player of the Year as a Junior

5’9 SO G Lucy Olsen 12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg

6’0 JR G Maddie Burke 7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg

Overview:

The Eagles and Wildcats face off for the first time in program history, in the round of 32, and 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. #4 seed Villanova lost to UCONN in the Big East championship game, and defeated #13 seed Cleveland State, 76-59, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Denise Dillon has led Villanova for the past three seasons. Leading scorer Maddy Siegrist is averaging 29.1 ppg, and is the top scoring player in the country. She was the Big East Conference Player of the Year this season, and gameplanning for her will be key in containing the Wildcats. Coach Smesko’s defensive gameplanning will be a chess match between himself and Coach Dillon, with the X’s and O’s that come in the round of 32.

#12 seed FGCU is led offensively by TK Morehouse, who is averaging 15.9 ppg. Sha Carter (14.1 ppg), led the Eagles with 24 points in FGCU’s first round victory over #5 WSU, and this duo at guard for the Eagles constantly causes problems since the opposition has to decide who to guard. The Eagles were contained from beyond the arc vs #5 WSU, as #12 seed FGCU only shot 35.7% (5/14) from beyond the arc. For the Eagles to defeat a top ten team in Villanova, raining threes will have to be a theme. Reaching the Sweet 16 would be an amazing feat for this team, and defeating a powerhouse team and #10 nationally ranked team in Villanova University on their home court, would bring even more national exposure to this “underdog” team.

Fort Myers, FL- #20 FGCU (16-4, 2-1 ASUN) won the series, taking two out of three games vs Liberty University (8-11, 1-2 ASUN), this weekend, from Swanson Stadium.

Game 1: Liberty 9, #20 FGCU 7

W-Garrett Horn (2-1)

5.0 IP, H, 5 K, 4 BB

L-Alejandro Valiente (1-1)

4.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R (0 ER), 2 K, 2 BB

S-Cole Hertzler (2)

2.1 IP, 4 K

Outstanding Players (LU):

Brayden Horton 3/4, 4 RBI’s

Three Hillier 1/5, R, 2 RBI’s

Jake Lazzaro 1/3, 2 RBI’s

Outstanding Players (#20 FGCU);

Brian Ellis 2/3, 3 RBI’s

Edrick Felix 2/5, R, 2 RBI’s

Stephen Wilmer 1/4, R, 2 RBI’s

Overview:

In game one of the series, Liberty carried an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the 7th, when #20 FGCU flipped the script on the Flames, putting up a 7 run rally. Brian Ellis (3 RBI’s), Edrick Felix (2 RBI’s), and Stephen Wilmer (2 RBI’s) provided the RBI’s and it set the tone for the rest of the series. Brayden Horton led the Flames with 4 RBI’s in the first game of the series. Garrett Horn (2-1) dominated the Eagles, only allowing one hit through 5 innings pitched, striking out 5 batters, while walking 4 batters. Alejandro Valiente (1-1) took a bad luck loss, allowing 5 unearned runs through 4 innings pitched.

Game 2: #20 FGCU 11, Liberty 8

W-Max Rippl (2-0)

1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (ALL ER), 3 BB

L-Nick Moran (1-2)

2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (ALL ER), K, 2 BB

S-LJ McDonough (4)

IP, K

Outstanding Players (LU):

Three Hillier 2/5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI’s

Camden Troyer 3/5, R, 2 RBI’s

Jalen Guy 2/4, 2 RBI’s

Outstanding Players (#20 FGCU):

Alejandro Figueredo 4/4, 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI’s

Brian Ellis 4/5, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI’s

Edrick Felix 2/4, 2 R, HR, RBI

Overview:

#20 FGCU responded big after dropping the first game of the series vs Liberty. Liberty took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 1st, courtesy of RBI’s from Hillier, and Guy. Alejandro Figueredo hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st to bring FGCU back within 2 runs. Edrick Felix continued his hot hitting with a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd to make it a 3-2 game. The Eagles took the lead for good in the bottom of the 3rd, with a 3 run shot from Figgy, his 2nd home run of the game. Brian Ellis put the game out of reach, with a 2 run home run of his own, to extend FGCU’s lead to 7 runs (11-4). The Eagles offense has not been a problem all season, and it was great to see the bats stay hot vs the Flames.

Game 3: #20 FGCU 7, Liberty 2

W-Justin Henschel (2-0)

5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (ALL ER), 2 K, 4 BB

L-Mikey Tepper (0-3)

3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (ALL ER), 5 K, 3 BB

S-LJ McDonough (5)

3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 K

Outstanding Players (LU):

Three Hillier 1/4, RBI

Brayden Horton 1/3, R, HR, RBI

Outstanding Players (#20 FGCU):

Alejandro Figueredo 2/5, 2 RBI’s

Harrison Povey 2/4, 2 R, RBI

Alejandro Rodriguez 1/4, RBI

Overview:

#20 FGCU took the series, and freshman Justin Henschel (2-0), did enough lasting 5.2 innings, allowing 2 ER, while striking out 2, and walking 4 Flames. Closer LJ McDonough was dominant, and in 3.1 innings pitched allowed 4 hits, while striking out 5 Flames, earning his 5th save of the year. The offense was carried by Alejandro Figueredo, who had a team high 2 RBI’s in the game. Figgy’s clutch hit was key in Sunday’s win, and in ASUN play, stacking series wins like FGCU did this weekend, only benefits the team, in this grind of a season. Hillier and Horton drove in the runs for the Flames, and for Horton it was his first career home run for Liberty, a lone bright spot for Liberty this weekend.

What’s Next:

#20 FGCU (16-4) faces USF (8-13) Tuesday night at 6:30 PM, from Swanson Stadium.

Villanova, PA- #12 seed FGCU (33-3) defeated #5 seed Washington State University (23-11), 74-63, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Saturday afternoon, from Finneran Pavilion.

Stats (#12 FGCU):

#12 FGCU shot 55.6% (30/54) from the field, 35.7% (5/14) from beyond the arc, and were outrebounded 32-27 by the Cougars. The Eagles dished out 11 assists, had 7 steals, and 1 block in the game. #12 FGCU forced 14 WSU team turnovers, while having 9 team turnovers of their own.

Stats (#5 WSU):

#5 WSU shot 38.9% (21/54) from the field, 26.9% (7/26) from beyond the arc, and outrebounded FGCU 32-27. The Cougars dished out 13 assists, had 0 steals, and 2 blocks in the game. #5 WSU forced 9 FGCU team turnovers, while having 14 team turnovers of their own.

Outstanding Players (#12 FGCU):

Sha Carter 24 pts, 6 reb

TK Morehouse 16 pts, 3 reb

Kierra “Keke” Adams 12 pts

Outstanding Players (#5 WSU):

Tara Wallack 16 pts, 12 reb

Johanna Teder 11 pts, 2 reb

Bella Murkekatete 10 pts, 3 reb

Overview:

Don’t call this game an upset! This Eagles team has won 15 games in a row, and has accomplished so much already this season. The Cougars were on a roll of their own too, winning the PAC-12 Championship, but ultimately fell short vs the Eagles. Sha Carter led the Eagles, scoring a game high 24 points, and the ALL-ASUN 1st Team member took over this game for #12 FGCU. TK Morehouse (16 points), Kierra Adams (12 points), and Maddie Antenucci (11 points), all scored in double figures for the Eagles.

#5 Washington State was led offensively by Tara Wallack who had a double-double, scoring 16 points, while grabbing a game high 12 rebounds. Johanna Teder (11 points), and Bella Murkekatete (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Cougars.

The Eagles held WSU’s leading scorer Charlisse Leger-Walker to 5 points in the game, and she fouled out of the game also. The key moment in this game was when Maddie Antenucci got hot from beyond the arc, hitting 3 key three point field goals for FGCU, on a night where the Cougars defense was stifling, and the Eagles had to rely on driving to the basket, over raining threes. Keke Adams had a huge game in the post, scoring her 12 points in 13 minutes, and was a huge boost for the Eagles. The 30 point 3rd Quarter for FGCU was the point where the Eagles pulled away in this game, and the athleticism of FGCU was evident, as they were faster to the ball, and played more like a 5 seed than the 12 seed the NCAA Selection Committee rewarded them for the second year in a row. Just like last year, FGCU prevailed as a 12 seed over the 5 seed, and we can’t wait to see how the Eagles look in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

What’s Next:

#12 seed FGCU (33-3) faces #4 Villanova University (29-6), Monday at 7 PM, from the Finneran Pavilion, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.