Wednesday, February 24, 2010

MACON, Ga. – The final Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Game of the Week features a showdown between two reclassifying foes in FGCU and USC Upstate. The Eagles, led by Adrianne McNally and Chelsea Lyles visit the Spartans, paced by Chel¬sea McMillan and Tee’Ara Copney, at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday from the Hodge Center. Catch all of the action on A-Sun.TV.

FGCU and USC Upstate met in Fort Myers, Fla. on Dec. 19, with the Eagles posting a 71-56 victory. A strong Eagles’ defense in the first-half of the game, in ad¬dition to four players scoring in double-figures, contributed to the FGCU win. The game went into the half with the Eagles holding a 16-point cushion on the visiting Spartans, thanks to 52.0 percent (13-for-25) shooting from the floor.

The second stanza provided time for USC Upstate to improve its shooting to 48.1 percent (13-for-27), however, the performances from FGCU’s Lyles, Eglah Griffin, Courtney Chihil and McNally proved too much for the visitors. Lyles scored a team-high 16 points, while Griffin added 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting and McNally chipped in with 11 points, five boards, and four assists. Chihil registered game-highs with 11 rebounds and six steals, in addition to scoring 15 points, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. The sophomore guard’s six steals also marked a career-high. McMillan led the Spartans with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds, while Copney added 10 points.

On the season, Lyles paces FGCU with 12.5 points and 1.8 3-pointers per game and ranks 11th overall in field goal percentage and free-throw percentages at a 41.1 and 76.6 mark, respectively. USC Upstate’s McMillan stands with ETSU’s Siarre Evans as the only two players in the A-Sun averaging a double-double, as the junior forward tallies 14.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

With a win, the Eagles move one step closer to securing a tie for the season title and a spot in the postseason WNIT, while the Spartans push for the 20-win mark. FGCU owns an overall tally of 4-0 in its series against USC Upstate and the Spartans have won 11 of its last 14 in Spartanburg.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.