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FGCU women stay undefeated, go to 16-0
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ESTERO -- Eleven of the 13 players on the Florida Gulf Coast women's roster are from outside the state, so the Eagles know what it means to travel long distances.
They know how to shoot from there, too.
FGCU ripped Arkansas Tech for nine 3-pointers in Thursday's first half alone, setting the tempo for a 93-49 rout that moved the eighth-ranked Eagles to 16-0 this season.
FGCU finished 16-for-36 from downtown, good enough to match its season high. The team also had 16 treys in a 96-59 victory over Saint Leo two weeks ago.
"I thought we showed the patience to look for a good shot," said FGCU coach Karl Smesko, whose Eagles have won 21 straight in Alico Arena. "I was really happy with the way we were able to execute our offense."
Arkansas Tech (5-5) had no answer for the barrage. If Danielle Severson wouldn't have scored with seven seconds to play, the Eagles would have had more points from beyond the arc (48) than the Golden Suns had points.
This is what FGCU fans are getting used to -- long shots, big leads and runaway wins.
The Eagles survived to beat Valdosta State, 51-48, seven days earlier. That was one of just three FGCU wins decided by single digits.
Against Arkansas Tech, things got back to normal. Complete with another dominant effort by senior forward Kate Schrader, who turned in one of her best all-around performances in two years on the team, even though she played just seven minutes in the second half.
Schrader, who had with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the first 20 minutes, added only two points to those totals after intermission. Had she kept up the pace, she would have been the first FGCU player to record a triple-double.
There was irony there, to be sure. As FGCU tested the school mark for 3-pointers in a single game -- 18 -- it got a near-historic effort from a player who made none. Schrader went 0-for-1 on shots from beyond the arc.
"We all have roles," said Schrader, who has made just four treys this season, but leads the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game. "Mine's not really 3-point shooting."
The same cannot be said for most of her teammates. Seven players hit a 3 for the Eagles, a downpour that began at the 14:53 mark of the first half. That is precisely when FGCU pulled away, as four more 3s were made in the next four minutes.
The lead grew. By the time Arkansas Tech reached double figures on a pair of free throws with 8:48 showing, FGCU already had 15 points on 3-pointers alone.
"We get open shots," Smesko said, "we feel like we're going to make them. That has obviously been a big part of our offense."
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