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FGCU's size, or lack thereof, was exploited from the jump in Saturday afternoon's date with SEC power Oklahoma.
The Sooners reached an NCAA Women's Tournament record on the glass, as their 72 rebounds set a new March Madness standard in an 81-58 win over the visiting Eagles.
"A lot of missed shots," Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "Lots and lots of missed shots. Raegan (Beers) having 18, Sky (Vann) having 9, and Sahara (Williams) having 10, seven offensive rebounds, that's how you do it. Liz Scott, being in foul trouble, had seven rebounds in her limited time, that's impressive too. It was a game of pace, where both teams were getting up and down. It was a fun game for a college basketball fan. I think that was a huge part of it. The 23 offensive rebounds means we missed a few, but glad we were there to cover them up."
Over time, Oklahoma's physicality showed when they needed to close things out, going on a 19-4 run in the fourth propelled by Beers and Vann to close the deal on an FGCU team that had been one of the top defenses in the nation on paper. The Eagles conceded 80 or more points for the first time this season and for the first time since a road date with Duke on Dec. 10, 2023.
"... They're scrappy," Baranczyk said. "Like Sky said, that's not always easy. Even though we have a size advantage, and you're pounding the ball inside. They're fast, they're small, they're scrappy. It's not like they were just going to lay down. We haven't played against that for a long time. we've played against a lot of length and size, and there is an element of adjusting, and we got in our heads a little bit. Then, when the game needed to be the game, I feel like we did a nice job of being able to convert on that."
A 1 of 20 stretch in the first half saw FGCU at one point shoot 14 percent, leading to a 19-point first-half deficit. For the game, FGCU shot 8 of 41 from beyond the arc — 19.5 percent — a far lower clip than the 11 3-pointers the Eagles made last year on the Sooners in Bloomington on 37 percent shooting.
"Obviously they have Beers," FGCU coach Chelsea Lyles said of OU's defense. "We rely a lot on getting paint touches and cutting. But when you have somebody who can just sit in the paint and take away your shooters, it makes it a little more difficult. In the third quarter, we were successful with attacking, and we kind of went away from that. We had open looks down the stretch and they just didn't fall. It was probably one of the lowest percentages we've shot this year."
A minute into the second half, two-time ASUN Player of the Year Emani Jefferson picked up her fourth foul, sending her to the bench for nearly 12 minutes of game action as Oklahoma's lead got bigger. But over the course of the third, FGCU found its stride, outscoring the Sooners 22-19 thanks in part to three made 3-pointers as well as 7 of 9 made free throws.
The Eagles will aim to make another ASUN run next season, with a handful of pieces slated to come back. The program is set to lose a handful of impact players in Emani Jefferson, Dolly Cairns, Lauryn Taylor, Alahna Paige, Casey Santoro, Lauryn Taylor. They'll all but surely need to find physical size along with players who can shoot the triple next season if FGCU wants to avoid being outrebounded like it ultimately was on Saturday.
"We've got quite a few pieces coming back," Lyles said. "If you can get a few kids, bring in some pieces. I have full confidence in the future of the program. Our assistant coaches, Camryn Brown, Sheahen (Dowling), Lisa (Zderadicka), Keri (Jewett-Giles), they recruit really well. We're going to hit the recruiting trail, try to bring in the same type of players, and we're going to get to work.
"My voice doesn't change. (Karl) Smesko's gone, but we're going to continue to try to stick to our standard, bring in some transfers, try and get the right kids in this program, and continue with our success."
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Rebounding, poor 3-point shooting doom FGCU in 2025 NCAA Tournament loss to Oklahoma
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The Sooners reached an NCAA Women's Tournament record on the glass, as their 72 rebounds set a new March Madness standard in an 81-58 win over the visiting Eagles.
"A lot of missed shots," Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "Lots and lots of missed shots. Raegan (Beers) having 18, Sky (Vann) having 9, and Sahara (Williams) having 10, seven offensive rebounds, that's how you do it. Liz Scott, being in foul trouble, had seven rebounds in her limited time, that's impressive too. It was a game of pace, where both teams were getting up and down. It was a fun game for a college basketball fan. I think that was a huge part of it. The 23 offensive rebounds means we missed a few, but glad we were there to cover them up."
Over time, Oklahoma's physicality showed when they needed to close things out, going on a 19-4 run in the fourth propelled by Beers and Vann to close the deal on an FGCU team that had been one of the top defenses in the nation on paper. The Eagles conceded 80 or more points for the first time this season and for the first time since a road date with Duke on Dec. 10, 2023.
"... They're scrappy," Baranczyk said. "Like Sky said, that's not always easy. Even though we have a size advantage, and you're pounding the ball inside. They're fast, they're small, they're scrappy. It's not like they were just going to lay down. We haven't played against that for a long time. we've played against a lot of length and size, and there is an element of adjusting, and we got in our heads a little bit. Then, when the game needed to be the game, I feel like we did a nice job of being able to convert on that."
Top single-game rebounding performances in NCAA Tournament
- 72 — Oklahoma vs. FGCU, March 22, 2025
- 69 — South Carolina vs. Howard, March 18, 2022
- 69 — UConn vs. Saint Francis, March 17, 2018
- 67 — Duke vs. Alabama, March 18, 1995
- 67 — Kentucky vs. Wright State, Lexington, March 22, 2014
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A 1 of 20 stretch in the first half saw FGCU at one point shoot 14 percent, leading to a 19-point first-half deficit. For the game, FGCU shot 8 of 41 from beyond the arc — 19.5 percent — a far lower clip than the 11 3-pointers the Eagles made last year on the Sooners in Bloomington on 37 percent shooting.
"Obviously they have Beers," FGCU coach Chelsea Lyles said of OU's defense. "We rely a lot on getting paint touches and cutting. But when you have somebody who can just sit in the paint and take away your shooters, it makes it a little more difficult. In the third quarter, we were successful with attacking, and we kind of went away from that. We had open looks down the stretch and they just didn't fall. It was probably one of the lowest percentages we've shot this year."
A minute into the second half, two-time ASUN Player of the Year Emani Jefferson picked up her fourth foul, sending her to the bench for nearly 12 minutes of game action as Oklahoma's lead got bigger. But over the course of the third, FGCU found its stride, outscoring the Sooners 22-19 thanks in part to three made 3-pointers as well as 7 of 9 made free throws.
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The Eagles will aim to make another ASUN run next season, with a handful of pieces slated to come back. The program is set to lose a handful of impact players in Emani Jefferson, Dolly Cairns, Lauryn Taylor, Alahna Paige, Casey Santoro, Lauryn Taylor. They'll all but surely need to find physical size along with players who can shoot the triple next season if FGCU wants to avoid being outrebounded like it ultimately was on Saturday.
"We've got quite a few pieces coming back," Lyles said. "If you can get a few kids, bring in some pieces. I have full confidence in the future of the program. Our assistant coaches, Camryn Brown, Sheahen (Dowling), Lisa (Zderadicka), Keri (Jewett-Giles), they recruit really well. We're going to hit the recruiting trail, try to bring in the same type of players, and we're going to get to work.
"My voice doesn't change. (Karl) Smesko's gone, but we're going to continue to try to stick to our standard, bring in some transfers, try and get the right kids in this program, and continue with our success."
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Rebounding, poor 3-point shooting doom FGCU in 2025 NCAA Tournament loss to Oklahoma
Continue reading...
