FGCU drops Cougs with flurry of 3s
VILLANOVA, PA. >> Maddie Antenucci’s shot pogosticked twice off the rim and the play seemed to go in slow motion for Florida Gulf Coast. Once the ball knocked twice off the top of the backboard — and in! — it was almost time to crank some celebratory Iron Maiden in the locker room.
“It was like, ahhh,” FGCU guard Sha Carter said of the shot. “When it hit, you could just feel the electricity in the arena.”
Antenucci’s 3- pointer bounced four times before going through the net as part of her game- changing spree from beyond the arc that sent 12th- seeded Florida Gulf Coast into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 7463 win Saturday over No. 5- seed Washington State.
Carter scored 24 points and Tishara Moorehouse had 16 for the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament champion Golden Eagles ( 33- 3).
“We have a team that can be explosive,” coach Karl Smesko said.
FGCU will try and reach the Sweet 16 with an upset against fourth- seeded Villanova on Monday at the Wildcats’ on- campus arena, the Pavilion. The Wildcats beat Cleveland State 76- 59 in the late game.
The Eagles sent the Shania Twain karaoke club out
of Washington State ( 2311) home early after a surprising run to win the Pac12 Tournament. Tara Wallack led the Cougars with 16 points
Antenucci, who scored 11 points, turned into a suddenscorer and turned a tight game into FGCU’S game to lose. She averaged only 4.1 points this season, but hit FGCU’S second 3 of the game in the third quarter for a 43- 38 lead. Her second straight 3 only 35 seconds later made it 46- 40 and started to put some separation in the game.
Her third straight 3 was one for the highlight reel. Her shot bounced twice straight up off the back rim, tapped twice off the front corner of the backboard and plopped through the net. The three 3s in a 1 minute, 12- second span were Antenucci’s first three shots and first points of the game.
“I feel like that pretty much summed it up for us in the third quarter,” Carter said, laughing.
The FGCU fans who filled a couple of sections inside the Pavilion erupted and Washington State called timeout. The Cougars never recovered.
“It just felt like we didn’t get a handle on how to guard them,” coach Kamie Ethridge said.
The Eagles closed as 1 ½ - point favorites, per FanDuel Sportsbook, so this would be no underdog upset, no matter the seeding.