FORT MYERS, Fla. - For the 12th time in program history, the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles are the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Women's Basketball Tournament Champions after defeating Central Arkansas, 68-51, on Saturday inside Alico Arena.
After the first five minutes and 46 seconds of the game, the Eagles were ahead on the scoreboard 8-6 thanks to scoring from Casey Santoro, Lauryn Taylor and ASUN Player of the Year Emani Jefferson. The Sugar Bears' six points had come from a pair of three-pointers from Kinley Fisher and Leah Mafua. FGCU held a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter with the score 16-12. Mafua led all scorers with five points while Jefferson had four for the Eagles.
Both offenses came out slower in the second quarter with the first basket coming from a Dolly Cairns three with 7:17 on the clock to extend the FGCU lead. Twenty-seven seconds later, Khamari Mitchell-Steen's driving layup gave the home team a 21-12 lead and forced a timeout from the UCA bench. At the half, FGCU's advantage on the scoreboard had grown to 14 with a 38-24 lead at the break.
FGCU began the second half on a 7-0 run with scoring from Taylor, Alahna Paige and ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year Dolly Cairns. Mafua, an All-ASUN Second Team selection for the Sugar Bears, put an end to the Eagles' scoring with a pair of free throws. Jade Upshaw, a member of the All-ASUN First Team, and Cheyanne Kemp scored back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to 45-32 for UCA at the quarter's media timeout. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Eagles led 57-40.
Skyler Gill got the fourth-quarter scoring started with a layup for FGCU. Kemp responded quickly with a bucket for Central Arkansas to keep the Eagles' lead at 17. Despite the team's best efforts, UCA was unable to close the gap on the scoreboard and the top-seeded Eagles closed out their 14th championship final appearance with a victory. With the win, FGCU has now won nine consecutive conference tournaments. The Eagles also extended their streak of not losing to an ASUN opponent since Jan. 21, 2023.
FGCU earned the league's automatic qualifier to represent the ASUN in the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. The Eagles await the NCAA selection show which airs on ESPN at 8 PM ET on March 16 to see who they face first when March Madness begins.
All-Tournament Team
Emani Jefferson, FGCU (MVP)
Khamari Mitchell-Steen, FGCU
Lauryn Taylor, FGCU
Leah Mafua, Central Arkansas
Jade Upshaw, Central Arkansas
Alice Recanati, EKU
Bella Vinson, Lipscomb