Limited tickets are available to the FGCU women’s basketball team’s WNIT semifinal contest against the University of Michigan. As two of the final four teams remaining in the 2016 tournament, the Eagles and Wolverines will face off at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 31 at Alico Arena with a place in the WNIT Championship on the line.
The Eagles welcomed a crowd of 3,307 to Alico Arena for Monday’s quarterfinal matchup against Hofstra and expect a large crowd against Michigan on Thursday. Fans are encouraged to dress for a “green out.”
“The crowd tonight was amazing,” said FGCU senior Kaneisha Atwater after Monday’s win. “I’ve never experienced something like that. They really gave us a boost. I love the support we get from everyone in the community. We have the best fans and such a great atmosphere and we are so excited to play here again with them behind us.”
General admission tickets to see the marquee matchup are just $12 and went on sale immediately following the thrilling win over Hofstra Monday night. Fans are encouraged to act quickly by logging onto FGCUTickets.com. Fans can also visit the Alico Arena Ticket Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and can call the Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 during those hours.
Reserved seats not claimed will go on sale to the public at 5 p.m. Wednesday. After 5 p.m., the public will have access to a limited number of reserved tickets that range from $18 to $24. Fans can purchase those reserved seats at FGCUTickets.com beginning at 5 p.m. or can purchase them with the Ticket Office directly beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday.
FGCU students with a valid Eagle ID will also have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to pick up a free general admission ticket. Following that deadline, more general admission tickets could become available to the public.
The Eagles defeated Hofstra 61-46 Monday night in front of an excited crowd at Alico to advance to the WNIT semifinals. The Green and Blue are now 32-5 on the season with the program’s best win total since making the move to Division I. FGCU defeated Bethune-Cookman in the opening round of the WNIT and has since earned wins over Wake Forest, Tulane and Hofstra at Alico. FGCU makes its first-ever appearance in the WNIT semifinal and holds a record of 7-5 in WNIT action in five previous appearances. The Eagles have welcomed more than 7,400 fans to The Nest since the WNIT tipped off and expect a large crowd on hand Thursday as the team takes on the Big Ten’s Michigan Wolverines.
FGCU is 18-3 in front of a home crowd this season and 133-11 at Alico since making the transition to Division I. With the 92.3 win percentage, Alico stands as the nation’s second toughest place to play in all of women’s college basketball – only behind Connecticut’s Gampel Pavilion.
With a win Thursday, the Eagles would advance to the WNIT Championship against the winner of Wednesday’s Oregon-South Dakota matchup. The final is set for Saturday, April 2 with a 3 p.m. tipoff. The championship game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network from a campus site to be named later.
Michigan enters Thursday’s game with a record of 21-13 on the season. The team went 9-9 in Big Ten action and defeated Wright State, Bucknell, San Diego and Temple to advance to the WNIT Semifinal at FGCU.