"Kierstan had two great games going into the break. Despite early foul trouble, she helped us beat Michigan State," said head coach Karl Smesko. "She came up big in the second overtime when we were down late. Against High Point, she showed her scoring versatility and helped us to a great start to that game and, ultimately, the win."
In the double overtime win against the Spartans, Bell scored 28 points while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals. She scored five key points in the final minute of double-overtime to erase a four-point deficit. In that stretch, she hit a three pointer, stole the ball on the next MSU possession, and went coast-to-coast to give FGCU an 85-80 lead with 17.3 seconds remaining. The Spartans missed a last second shot with Bell grabbing the rebound as time expired to secure the victory.
She followed that with a 30-point, 12-rebound performance against the Panthers to break the double-double mark. Her 30 points came on an efficient 11-of-18 shooting from the floor (61.1 percent), while she added three blocks and a steal in the 86-50 win. Prior to the game, Bell had been tied with Sarah Hansen for the most double-doubles in program history.
Through 12 games, Bell is averaging 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. She ranks second nationally in scoring and is just 1.1 points behind Delaware's Jasmine Dickey as the two players have traded or shared the No. 1 spot throughout the season. Bell continues to lead the nation in total points with 294.
This was the ninth time in Bell's career that she has been named ASUN Player of the Week which stands as the most all-time in FGCU history.
| Kierstan Bell | 9 |
| Whitney Knight | 7 |
| Keri Jewett-Giles | 6 |
| Sarah Hansen | 5 |
| Rosemarie Julien | 4 |
| Kaneisha Atwater | 4 |
Her nine selections are also now tied for second all-time in ASUN history.
| Albena Branzova | FIU | 10 |
| Alysha Clark | Belmont | 10 |
| Andrea Congreaves | Mercer | 10 |
| Leslie McElrath | Georgia State | 9 |
| Brianti Saunders | Stetson | 9 |
| Kierstan Bell | FGCU | 9 |
| Felecia Autry | Campbell | 8 |
| Patechia Hartman | Georgia State | 8 |
For complete coverage of the women's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_WBB, on Facebook at /fgcuwbb and online at www.FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU women's basketball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Do you enjoy watching or following the FGCU women's basketball program? Would you like to play a role in the growth of the program and help take it to heights never before experienced? If so, you can reach out to Director of Advancement, Matt Ring, about opportunities to make an impact on the experiences of our student-athletes. He can be reached by email at mring@fgcu.edu or by office phone at 239-745-4434.
COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko maintains a record of 590-126 (.824) overall in his career, which is the third-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches behind only UConn's Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey. He has also led the Eagles to a 217-17 (.927) mark in ASUN regular season play and a 27-2 (.931) record in ASUN tournament play. Over the past 10 seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 153-5 (.968) record in conference play with six undefeated seasons. The 11-time ASUN Coach of the Year has led the program to 11-straight 25-win seasons and 17-consecutive 20-win campaigns, including 30-plus wins in four of the past seven years. On top of all that, the Eagles are 529-99 (.842) all-time since Smesko started the program in the 2002-03 season, and the Green and Blue's .842 all-time winning percentage is the best in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 86 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--
"time" - Google News
December 28, 2021 at 05:15AM
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Bell Earns ASUN Player of the Week Honor for Third Time This Season - FGCU Athletics
"time" - Google News
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