The Florida Gulf Coast women’s basketball team has never backed away from playing anyone, but most of their showdowns with top national programs have come on the road.
That will change in December as the Eagles will host and 2025 national runner-up South Carolina to Alico Arena. FGCU faces coach Dawn Staley’s national power on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m.
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“This program has a proud history of competing with the best, and we’re excited to keep building on that tradition. Coach Staley and the Gamecocks have pushed the game forward for the past decade, and it’s an honor to bring them to Alico Arena,” first-year FGCU coach Raina Harmon said in a release.
South Carolina has won three national championships (2017, 2022, 2024), including an undefeated campaign in 2023-24.
The game will be the first big test for Harmon, who replaced interim coach Chelsea Lyles and founding coach Karl Smesko, who both left FGCU to coach with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. FGCU went 30-4 in 2024-25, sweeping the Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament titles and an 11th NCAA tournament appearance in 14 years.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU women’s basketball hosting NCAA power South Carolina at Alico Arena
