The FGCU Lady Eagles collected their 9th straight ASUN title Saturday with a 68-51 win over Central Arkansas at Alico Arena.
The win, under first-year Coach Chelsea Lyles, qualified the Atlantic Sun Conference champions for NCAA tournament play.
Coach Lyles said the Eagles did pretty well in the first half but the second half was likely not the team’s best this year.
“But we'll go and watch the film maybe tomorrow, celebrate this one today and then try and clean some things up before we go to the tournament,” she said.
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU Emani Jefferson cheers as she finishes cutting down the net after their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU head coach Chelsea Lyles, center, chats with former head coach Karl Smesko after their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Maddie Antenucci records her teammates as they cut down the net after their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Emani Jefferson goes up for a layup against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU celebrates their win over Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title. The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since 2013 and have made the championship game every year since becoming eligible in 2012.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Skyler Gill heads for the basket against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Khamari Mitchell-Steen jumps on defense against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Khamari Mitchell-Steen takes a shot against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Skyler Gill heads for the basket against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Lauryn Taylor heads for the basket around Cheyenne Banks of Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Lauryn Taylor and Cheyenne Banks of Central Arkansas go for the ball in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
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FGCU’s Lauryn Taylor heads for the basket around Cheyenne Banks of Central Arkansas in the ASUN Women’s Basketball Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025. FGCU won 68-51 to take their 12th ASUN title.
Amanda Inscore Whittamore / WGCU
Eagle Khamari Mitchell-Steen expressed overwhelming joy and disbelief about winning, attributing the success to reliance on their habits and game plan.
"It's unreal. Just feels so unreal. I'm just so happy," Mitchell-Steen said. "We knew that they're gonna come out and try to punch us hard, so we just had to rely on our habits and stick to that, or our game plan."
The win over the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears was FGCU's sixth with no losses. They last defeated the Sugar Bears 95 - 71 at their home court on Feb. 20.
The 2025 NCAA DI women's basketball tournament selection show will air Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN when the Eagles will find out who they start the tournament against and where.
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