After a tumultuous week, the FGCU women’s basketball team looked like its old self with a new head coach.
Five days after program-founding coach Karl Smesko stepped down to take over the WNBA’s Atlanta Dreamy, longtime Eagles assistant Chelsea Lyles picked up her first win as FGCU’s head coach, a convincing 73-53 win over NJIT at Alico Arena Sunday afternoon. It was also FGCU’s first win of the season after two opening road losses.
“The role is different, and now every decision is on you,” said Lyles, who played and coached under Smesko for 17 years before being elevated from associate head coach to head coach after Smesko’s resignation. “As assistant coach, you kind of sit there and give suggestions, but now it’s on you. I know people are saying this is my first one, but this is, this is their win. They did that.
“He’s a great mentor to me. He’s somebody I’ll probably lean on a lot this year because his season doesn’t start till later. He was very encouraging. And, yeah, it was great talking to him.”
Who is Chelsea Lyles?: What to know about Karl Smesko’s FGCU women’s basketball successor
Players were told of Smesko’s departure after practice on Wednesday morning but said they couldn’t linger on his absence having lost their first two games and with their home opener Sunday.
“It’s bittersweet,” redshirt senior guard Maddie Antenucci said. “I mean, a lot of us came here to play for (Smesko), and it’s tough. But you know, we’re really happy for him. He deserves it. This has been his dream, and all we can do is support him and also support each other in this new chapter.
“It’s life. I mean, you’re gonna hear news that you don’t want to hear, we just adapted and we trusted one another. This is a time where we really can lean on each other and build a relationship with one another, and we’re so lucky that we have Lyles to lead us.”
For many, the transition has been seamless since Lyles has been a part of the team’s “Raining 3s” mantra getting close to two decades. She did not stray away from that playing style in the Eagles’ home opener.
FGCU hit 3-of-7 (42.9%) three-pointers and were 11 for 18 (61.15%) in the paint in the first quarter as it raced out to a 28-14 lead.
“Honestly, there really hasn’t been a difference,” Fifth-year center transfer Lauren Taylor said. “It’s the same system and it’s just a different voice, and Lyles has done a great job just bringing the energy and just coming together and focusing on the next play and the next thing that we can do instead of hanging our heads.”
The Eagles’ shooting percentages started to do down after that as missed shots and constant turnovers plagued the Eagles. The shooting slide began with Antenucci’s absence after picking up three first-quarter fouls forcing her to the bench for the rest of the half.
Read: What did Karl Smesko’s resignation letter to FGCU for the WNBA Atlanta Dream say?
“Antenucci is the leader of this team, ” Lyles said. “Her voice is her on the floor, everything just runs a little bit smoother. So when she picked up her third foul, unfortunately, we had to sit her for a while, but her teammate stood, you know, stepped up and made a good difference.”
The teams combined for 23 turnovers in the first half with FGCU taking the advantage with 14 points off of turnovers which helped the Eagles maintain its 14-point lead at the break, 42-28. The turnover differential grew in the second half with NJIT giving the ball up 18 times against FGCU’s five.
Once Antenucci got back in the game, she immediately went back to work, ending the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 steals. However, the player of the game was Taylor as she accumulated 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists which gave her the first double-double of her collegiate career.
Fifth-year guard Emani Jefferson started the second half by converting back-to-back layups off of turnovers. The Eagles rode this momentum for the rest of the game as the Highlanders never got within single digits.
“We have so many seniors and so many girls that came here because of coach Smesko,” Lyles said. “So they’ve just kind of taken it day by day, and they’ve brought a lot of energy, and they’ve been working hard, and they deserved this win.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Chelsea Lyles wins first game as FGCU women’s basketball coach replacing Karl Smesko
