01/01/2026
FORT MYERS, Fla.– Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball team beat the University of North Alabama 51-44 in their Atlantic Sun Conference opener at Alico Arena on Thursday, Jan. 1
Cerina Rolle and Nay Staton led the Eagles each scoring 10 points. Rolle finished 4-for-8 from the field, including a 3-pointer. She also made a pair of free throws. Staton finished 3-for-9 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. Sinai Douglas added nine points, including a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. Eve Alexander had eight points finishing 3-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Karina Gordon finished with seven points.
Alexsandra Alvarado finished with 13 points for the Lions including a pair of 3-pointers. She also made a free-throw. Sofia Ceppellotti had nine points, including a 3-pointer. She also made a pair of free throws. India Howard finished with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting.
North Alabama led 14-12 after the first quarter. Gordon led the Eagles making a pair of 3-pointers. Rolle and Alexander each scored two points. Douglas and Anna Mortag each made a free throw.
FGCU held a 27-24 lead after the second quarter, outscoring the Lions 15-10 in the quarter. Staton and Rolle each scored five points, each hitting a three. Douglas made a 3-pointer and Shamier Quimby scored two points.
UNA outscored FGCU 14-13 in the third quarter as the Eagles took a 40-38 lead into the fourth. Douglas led FGCU in the quarter with five points. Jalei Pillow and Maca Retamales each scored two points. Staton made a 3-pointer and shot from the free-throw line.
The Eagles opened the fourth with a tip-in by Rolle. UNA answered with a layup. FGCU followed with a pair of free throws by Alexander, a free throw by Rolle and pair of jump shots by Alexander. The Lions made a layup. FGCU responded with a free throw by Gordon. The Lions followed with another layup making the score 50-44 FGCU with 43 seconds left. Staton followed with a free throw for the Eagles with 17 seconds left sealing the win.
The Eagles finished with a 37-33 rebounding advantage and outscored the Lions 11-4 at the free-throw line. While North Alabama owned the paint with a 24-18 scoring advantage, FGCU capitalized on 16 turnovers in the conference win.
FGCU Head Coach Raina Harmon spoke with FGCU Athletics after the game.
“It wasn’t the prettiest win that we had this season but at the end of the day we took care of Alico (Arena) and that’s what we’re looking to do at all our home games within conference…
I thought we came out and kind of set the tempo a little bit defensively which I’ve asked. One thing that we’ve talked about in the locker room was just really simple playing with defensive intensity and playing with confidence and when our shots weren’t falling early I thought we did a good job of keeping their scoring at bay…and then in the second (quarter) we were outscoring them and I thought things started to slip away from us a little bit in the third quarter which was kind of reminiscent of maybe an Indiana and a Columbia and if you don’t let those things happen maybe we have a different outcome…
I just called their attention to that and asked for more effort, but I think after that we saw there was a switch and (Cerina Rolle) had a beautiful block at the end of the quarter and just going in to remind them that defensive intensity is what was going to win this game. We outscored them 11-6 in the end and took care of business,” Harmon said.
FGCU (5-7, 1-0 ASUN) hosts University of Central Arkansas at Alico Arena at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3
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