The FGCU women's basketball team is going to Bloomington, Indiana, and a spot in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Eagles found out their tournament destination Sunday night during the NCAA Selection Show. The Eagles are the number 12 seed and were paired with the Big 12 conference's fifth-seeded Oklahoma Sooners.
That pairing came after the Eagles on Saturday beat Central Arkansas 76-47 in the ASUN Women's Basketball Tournament at Alico Arena.
It's their seventh conference title in a row and 11th conference title overall.
Senior Uju Ezeudu was named Most Valuable Player with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Emani Jefferson led the Eagles in scoring with 20 points.
Ezeudu was happy that the team's hard work paid off with the pairing.
"Just having to be able to play in March Madness think it's opportunity we worked so hard all year to be able to win our conference and show what FGCU is all about so I'm glad to make our mark and we don't care who we're playing up against we're gonna play team basketball together and yeah have a good game," she said.
FGCU Women's Basketball wins ASUN Championship over Central Arkansas
Long-time FGCU women's basketball coach Karl Smesko put the pairing into perspective:
"You know there's so many possibilities about who we could play," he said. "I've seen Oklahoma play a couple times and they're really good. But really, our preparation starts now and like we'll watch a lot of film tonight and start trying to put together a game plan."
1 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 003.jpg
Shekinah Guthrie of FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
2 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 001.jpg
FGCU players celebrate their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
3 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 004.jpg
FGCU players celebrate their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
4 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 005.jpg
Kierra Adams of FGCU celebrates after cutting down the net after their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
5 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 006.jpg
FGCU players take a selfie after beating Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
6 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 002.jpg
Uju Ezeudu of FGCU celebrates a basket against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
7 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 008.jpg
Shekinah Guthrie of FGCU celebrates a basket with a chance for a three-point play against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
8 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 0010.jpg
Sofia Persson of FGCU and Cheyanne Kemp of Central Arkansas lunge for a loose ball in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
9 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 015.jpg
Uju Ezeudu of FGCU celebrates a basket against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
10 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 011.jpg
Emani Jefferson FGCU drives around Randrea Wright of Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
11 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 009.jpg
Shekinah Guthrie of FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
12 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 007.jpg
FGCU players celebrate their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
13 of 13
— 031624 aiw ASUN champs 012.jpg
Kierra Adams of FGCU goes up for a shot against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. FGCU won 76-47.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
Smesko has directed FGCU to an NCAA Tournament victory in its last two appearances, taking down fifth-seeded Virginia Tech in 2022. The Eagles are 4-9 all-time in the Big Dance, eyeing their first-ever Sweet 16 run. Three of its four wins have occurred as a 12 seed.
NCAA Tournament schedule
- First Four: March 20-21
- First round: March 22-23
- Second round: March 24-25
- Sweet 16: March 29-30
- Elite Eight: March 31-April 1
- Final Four: Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. with the second semifinal starting 30 minutes after the first game ends. Both will be broadcast on ESPN and hosted at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. on ABC, hosted at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
