#FSWWBB Impresses In Home Opening Win Over Hillsborough

Photo Credit: Linwood Ferguson
Photo Credit: Linwood Ferguson

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FSW women's basketball team opened Suncoast Credit Union Arena with an impressive 80-64 win over Hillsborough CC on Tuesday night (Nov. 29).

The Bucs are 2-4 on the season, while Broward falls to 4-4 on the year.

The Bucs were led by Dajsha Hall, who finished with 17 points and a game-high 14 board. Erna Normil chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds, while LaToya Ashman added 13 points and eight rebounds. Kiarra Meeks tallied 12 points, six boards, five assists and five steals, while Elizabeth Spencer finished with nine points and four rebounds.

The Bucs are back in action this weekend when they participate in the Florida JUCO Shootout. FSW faces Chipola on Dec. 2 (8 p.m.) in Mariana, Fla., before traveling to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on Daytona State (4 p.m.).

FOLLOW THE BUCS
For the latest news on FSW Athletics, log on to FSWBucs.com or stay connected to the Bucs on social media. Follow the Buccaneers on Twitter @FSWBucs, on Instagram @FSWBucs, on Facebook at Facebook.com/FSWBucs and on Snapchat at BucsSnaps.

THE CULLIGAN CITY OF PALMS CLASSIC
The Culligan City of Palms Classic is once again the place to see the best high school boys basketball action in the country this holiday season. The 44th annual tournament will take place at the new Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) Friday, Dec. 16 - Wednesday, Dec. 21. Tickets for the tournament are now on sale and several ticket options are available For more information and to purchase tickets, call the box office Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at (800) 440-7469 or (239) 481-4849.

SEASON TICKETS
The FSW Athletic Department is still taking reservations for 2016-17 season tickets (men's and women's combo) and fans have several options to select from. Season ticket prices range from $75 to $300 and fans can go to FSWBucs.com/Tickets to fill out the online form and reserve their seat(s). FSW students will be admitted FREE with a valid BUC Card.

WATCH THE BUCS ONLINE
All 15 of FSW's home games will be available online through FSW Livestream (FSW.edu/livestream), and can be viewed on smartphones, tablets and laptop or desktop computers.

SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers will compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. When complete, Suncoast Credit Union Arena will be approximately 75,000 square feet and will host the Buccaneers' basketball and volleyball teams, and a student athletic center. The arena will seat approximately 3,300 fans and include six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena will have two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, which will each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays will be installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.

FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN
The Florida SouthWestern State College athletic program is a member of the Florida College System Athletic Association (FCSAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Buccaneers are one of 25 schools in the NJCAA Region 8 and are one of six schools in the Suncoast Conference. Florida SouthWestern State College currently supports four intercollegiate athletic programs (Baseball, Softball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball).

Baseball and Softball began their regular season competition in 2016 at the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Located on the Thomas Edison (Lee) Campus in Fort Myers will be the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (set to be completed by fall 2016), where FSW's men's and women's basketball teams will compete.

THE NJCAA
The movement to form a unique sports association dedicated to America's two-year colleges arose in 1937 when several track and field coaches gathered in Fresno, California. A year later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rejected a petition from 13 two-year colleges in California to grant their teams and athletes permission to compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

In the spring of 1938, following the NCAA's rejection, those same 13 two-year colleges gathered again in Fresno to organize and form an association that would promote and supervise a national athletics program exclusively for junior and community colleges…and the rest is history.

On May 14, 1938, the first constitution of the National Junior College Athletic Association was accepted by its charter members and the organization held its first national championship event a year later in May 1939.

The NJCAA has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be the leader in championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. This section of the association's website is dedicated to celebrating the NJCAA's rich history and tradition as the national governing body of two-year college athletics.

For more information on the NJCAA log on to www.NJCAA.org

THE FCSAA
The Florida College System Activities Association, Incorporated (FCSAA) is a statewide non‑profit corporation regulating, coordinating, and promoting intercollegiate activities in: Athletics, Brain Bowl, Forensics, Music, Student Government, Student Publications, and Theatre.

Membership in the Florida College System Activities Association is open to any of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each member institution is represented in the policy‑making deliberations of the Association through that institution's President or other designated representative. The institutional representatives constitute the FCSAA Presidents Assembly, the ultimate authority in FCSAA.

For more information on the FCSAA log on to www.TheFCSAA.com.  

NJCAA REGION 8, THE SUNCOAST CONFERENCE & THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
Member colleges of the NJCAA are allotted to a specific NJCAA Region upon membership to the association. Unlike other collegiate organizations that defer to conference affiliation, the NJCAA guarantees each member college's membership within the regional structure of the association. In most cases, region assignment is based upon geographic location of the college. 

The region structure of the NJCAA is the primary method used by all sponsored sports of the association in determining qualification for national championship tournaments. In certain sports, two or more regions are partnered to form a competition 'district', which is then used for national championship qualification. The organization of districts varies per sport and is formulated every two years under the authority of the association's board of directors. 

FSW is in Region 8 and is joined by ASA College Miami (Region 8 only; non-FCSAA member), Broward College, Chipola College, College of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Miami Dade College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pensacola State College, Polk State College, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College of Florida, South Florida State College, St. Johns River State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Tallahassee Community College.

The Bucs are also in the Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, South Florida State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota.

The women's basketball program is Southern Conference with Broward College, Eastern Florida State College, Indian River State College, Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College.

For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.