The underdog No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast Eagles looked at No. 5 seed Washington State around the court and thought to themselves, “This doesn’t impress me much.” FGCU pulled off the biggest upset of the NCAA Tournament ever, defeating Washington State 74–63.
FGCU senior guard Sha Carter led the Eagles by going 10-for-13 from the field and knocking down 26 points in the win. Senior guard Tishara Morehouse added 16 points of her own in the win.
FGCU was looking strong, taking a 17–13 lead over Washington State at the end of the first quarter. Washington State came back in the second quarter, taking a one-point lead into halftime. That momentum didn’t carry into the third quarter. FCGU outscored Washington State 30–16 in the quarter, essentially putting the game out of reach for the Cougars.
It was the second year in a row that FGCU upset the first round of the tournament. The team knocked off Virginia Tech last year before falling to Maryland in the second round of the event.
If you were lucky enough to choose FGCU in your bracket, good for you. If not, many people feel your pain. There are only 42 perfect brackets left after FGCU’s upset win.
Washington State was bogged down by foul trouble and an inefficient night from star guard Charlize Leger-Walker, who went just 2-of-11 from the field. Leger-Walker averaged 18.1 points for the Cougars during the regular season. He finished Saturday’s game with 5 points.
When the game ended, Lager-Walker was not even on the court. She got into foul trouble early in the contest, and was ejected from the game with more than five minutes to play.
The team’s second leading scorer, Bela Murekatete, also got into foul trouble during the regular season. She finished with 10 points.
In the lead up to the tournament, Washington State gained attention for adopting Shania Twain’s anthem “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” as their unofficial fight song. Twain also tweeted about the development, congratulating the team On winning the Pac 12 title.
That storyline came to an end on Saturday, as did FGCU still the one When the clock stands at zero.