FORT MYERS, Fla. – Needing just one victory to clinch at least a share of the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Championship, the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team hits the road this week to face FGCU and Stetson.
EKU opens the trip Thursday at FGCU inside Alico Arena with a 7 p.m. ET tipoff before traveling to DeLand, Florida, to face Stetson on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Both games will stream live on ESPN+ and can also be heard for free on the Colonels All-Access page and @EKUWBB's page on X.
EKU enters week eight of ASUN play with a 22-5 overall record and 13-1 mark in conference action. The Colonels' 22 wins are tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history, while their 13 league victories are the most since 2005.
The Colonels sit alone in first place in the ASUN standings and can clinch at least a share of the regular season title with one win in their final four games. It would mark EKU's first ASUN Regular Season Championship as a league member and the program's 11th regular season title overall. With two wins, or one win combined with losses by teams below them in the standings, would secure the championship outright for the first time since 2005.
Senior forward
Joseana Vaz continues to pace the Colonels, scoring in double figures in seven straight games. Over her last three contests, the Praia, Cape Verde, native posted a career-high 33 points against Austin Peay (Feb. 7), 16 points versus Central Arkansas (Feb. 12), and 17 points against North Alabama (Feb. 14).
Vaz leads the team averaging 13.9 points per game and ranks second with 6.7 rebounds per contest.
EKU's balanced attack has featured four additional double-figure scorers.
Liz Freihofer averages 12.8 points per game,
Ndidiamaka Ndukwe adds 11.4 per contest,
Kenleigh Woods contributes 10.8 per game, and
Althea Kara Angeles chips in 9.6 points per outing.
Nationally, EKU checked in at No. 112 in the NCAA NET rankings released Feb. 17. The Colonels are also receiving 11 votes in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, marking the 18th week during the
Greg Todd era the program has appeared in the poll.
EKU leads the ASUN in scoring offense at 74.0 points per game and ranks fourth in scoring defense, allowing just 59.7 points per contest. The Colonels rank top 100 nationally in 18 statistical categories, including high rankings with a No. 4 spot in 3-point field goal defense (25.0), No. 16 in defensive rebounds per game (29.2), and No. 29 in field goal percentage defense (36.8).
Scouting Florida Gulf Coast
FGCU, winners of eight consecutive ASUN Championships, enters Thursday's matchup at 12-13 overall and 8-6 in league play under first-year head coach Raina Harmon.
The Colonels, who have traveled to face FGCU in six of the seven regular season meetings between the two schools, are searching for their first win over the Eagles since becoming league foes in 2021-22.
Sophomore guard Sinai Douglas leads FGCU averaging 11.5 points per game. The Toledo, Ohio, native scored 23 points two games ago in a win over North Florida on Feb. 12.
Scouting Stetson
Stetson (16-9, 9-5 ASUN) hosts in-state foe North Florida on Thursday before welcoming EKU on Saturday. The Hatters have won five of their last six games and currently sit third in the conference standings.
Senior guard Cameron Thomas, the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, leads Stetson and the conference averaging 16.4 points per game. She has scored in double figures in 17 games this season and has recorded two 30-point performances.
