Atlantic Sun Tournament FAQs

The 2013 Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship kicks off March Madness Wednesday. Florida Gulf Coast holds the No. 1 and fans can watch quarterfinal games on ESPN3.com

Mercer is hosting the 2013 A-Sun Championship in Macon, Ga. The last time a tournament host won the championship was in 1998 with FIU taking the crown in Miami, Fla.

A-Sun notes from the league

• The Eagles made history with becoming the first team in the A-Sun to record back-to-back undefeated conference seasons with an 18-0 record. FGCU comes into the tournament a No. 1 seed facing No. 8 Kennesaw State in the quarterfinal match on Wednesday. FGCU is currently riding a 19-game winning streak, which is tied at No. 4 in the nation for longest winning streak.
• Including its 2012 Atlantic Sun Championship run, FGCU has now won 39 consecutive games vs. A-Sun opponents. The Eagles have won 36 straight regular season conference contests, which ranks as the second longest streak in the country behind defending national champion Baylor (40).
• Kennesaw State is making its fourth appearance in the A-Sun Championship. The Owls won their first tournament game in 2012 with a 51-49 decision vs. North Florida in the quarterfinals.
• KSU’s Sametria Gideon has scored a double-double in 14 games this season. Gideon is averaging 11.2 points per game and 10.4 rebounds and is just one of three players in the country to be a school’s career point and rebound leader.
• Last year he Eagles faced the Owls in the semifinals where FGCU came away with a 76-53 victory to move on to the finals where they defeated No. 2 seed Stetson for the championship title.
• The Eagles Sarah Hansen finished the season ranked No. 1 in the league in scoring with 17 points per game, while teammate Kennedy averaged 2.9 steals per game this season; No. 1 in the A-Sun.
• Jacksonville landed the No. 6 seed led by freshman Queen Alford who led all A-Sun freshmen in scoring and rebounding with 11.7 points per game and 6.3 rebounds.
• JU has reached the A-Sun Final in three of the last five championships but have yet to win the title.
• Stetson clinched the No. 2 seed in the championship for the third straight season. The Hatters will face No. 7 seed ETSU in their quarterfinal match-up.
• Both the Hatters and the Buccaneers have each won the A-Sun Championship three times. Four of the last five A-Sun Championships have gone to either Stetson or ETSU.
• In ETSU’s and Stetson’s last tournament meeting, No. 1 ETSU defeated No. 8 Stetson in the first round of the 2010 A-Sun Championship, 84-49.
• Stetson’s Victoria McGowan was selected as the 2012 A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year after earning the 2012 Player of the Year nod at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season. This year, McGowan leads the league in three point field goals per game with 2.1 respectively.
• The Bucs have five players ranked in the top-15 in the A-Sun in blocked shots. Tosha Austin leads the team with 1.2 blocks per game.
• The Bears are making their first appearance in Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship since 2010, where they entered as the No. 2 seed and were upset North Florida.
• The Bears 13-game win improvement from six wins in 2011-12 to 19 wins this season is the biggest turnaround in the country.
• Mercer is led by Precious Bridges, who leads the league in scoring in conference games with 16.7 PPG and Sharnea Boykin who is averaging a dominating 8.2 assists per game in league play.
• USC Upstate will face North Florida in the four/five match-up in the A-Sun Championship. The Spartans are making their second appearance in the A-Sun Championship in just their second year of eligibility.
• Upstate’s senior Tee’Ara Copney leads all active A-Sun players in career points with 1,625 total points. Copney ranks No. 13 all-time in scoring in the A-Sun record books and is just 17 points away from moving up to the No. 12 spot.
• In 2010, UNF its first A-Sun Championship final as a No. 7 seed in the tournament. The Ospreys narrowly fell to No. 1 ETSU 63-62.
• North Florida’s senior guard Jadhken Kerr scored her 1,000th career point in the last game of the regular season with a nine point performance vs. Lipscomb. Kerr surpassed the 1,000 point plateau with a three point basket and now has 260 career three-point field goals; ranked No. 3 in the A-Sun.