FORT MYERS, Fla. – Senior Ashley Cazee hit three straight three-pointers to key a second half 15-3 run and finished with 26 points in Eastern Kentucky’s 74-56 win over Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday in the championship game of the 2007 FGCU Thanksgiving Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Lady Colonels (3-0) fell behind by 13 points in the opening minutes but fought back to take a five point halftime lead. Fellow seniors Niki Avery and Crystal Jones totaled 14 and 11 points respectively.
Cazee earned tournament MVP honors and Avery was selected to the all-tournament team. In two tournament games, Cazee averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 58.3 percent from the field. Avery averaged 9.5 points, five assists and two steals.
Jones added five boards and four assists to her 11 points. Four three-pointers contributed to Avery’s 14 points. She also handed out five assists. Cazee made 10 of 12 field goal attempts, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, and dished out five assists.
Delia De La Torre led Florida Gulf Coast (1-2) with 19 points.
EKU got off to a slow start in the first half as Florida Gulf Coast jumped out to a 19-6 lead to open the game. FGCU’s Adrianne McNally scored 12 of her team’s first 19 points. McNally’s three-pointer made it a 13-point game with 10:39 remaining before halftime.
The Lady Colonels answered with an 11-2 run to get back in the game. Ilona Muszak, Cherie White and Crystal Jones each hit a three-pointer during the run. Jones’ trey left EKU down by four, 21-17, with 6:24 on the clock.
De La Torre’s lay-up pushed Florida Gulf Coast back in front by seven, 24-17, with 4:32 before halftime. However, the Eagles would only score one more point as Eastern finished the first half on a 13-1 run to take a 30-25 lead to the locker room at the break. FGCU committed seven turnovers and went 0-for-3 from the field over the final four and a half minutes of the first half.
EKU made 11-of-30 first half shots for 36.7 percent, including 5 of 11 three-pointers (45.5 percent). The Eagles made 10 of their 21 shots in the opening 20 minutes of action for 47.6 percent. McNally totaled 13 points at the break.
The Lady Colonels built two eight point leads in the first 10 minutes of the second half but each time Florida Gulf Coast came back. After Avery’s three-pointer with 14:07 showing on the clock made it 44-36, the Eagles used a 10-2 run to tie the score at 46-46 with 9:48 left to play.
Eastern Kentucky edged out in front by three before Cazee knocked down a three-pointer on three straight EKU possessions and the Lady Colonel defense turned up the heat. After De La Torre answered Cazee’s first triple with one of her own, the Eagles went scoreless for the next five minutes and Eastern used a 15-3 run to take a 15-point lead, 65-50, with 3:47 remaining in the game. Shavonne Jones scored her only three points of the game with an old-fashioned three-point play during the run. Cazee capped it off with a free throw.
After scoring 13 points in the first half, Eastern held FGCU’s McNally to just three points in the second half. The Eagles made 9 of 23 shots in the second stanza for 39.1 percent.
EKU shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) in the second half and nailed seven of 13 three-pointers (53.8 percent).
The Lady Colonels return to action next Saturday (Dec. 1) when they play Syracuse at the Taco Bell Warhawk Classic in Monroe, La. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. The tournament includes Louisiana-Monroe and Alabama State.
