FORT MYERS, Fla. – Backed by double-figures from five separate players, the FGCU women's basketball team overcame a 10-point deficit to sail to an 88-75 win over George Washington University Friday night at Alico Arena. The Eagles begin the year at 1-0 for the seventh-consecutive season, while GW falls to 0-1.
 
Plagued by turnovers, the Eagles fell behind by double-digits points early in the first half but slowly chipped away at the deficit minutes midway through the half. A nine-point run late in the first stanza pushed the Green and Blue to a 44-33 lead before the break. The home team converted 54.5 percent of its shots in the second half, including 18-of-24 shots from the charity stripe to maintain the advantage and ultimately seal the win over the Atlantic-10 foe.
 
"I thought GW came out ready and they attacked us early," said head coach Karl Smesko of the strong opposition.  "They were really aggressive and it took us a few minutes to settle down. Once we did that, we did a good job creating scoring opportunities. They took it to us on the boards and we had to run offense at a really efficient level to keep up because we were giving up so many extra opportunities. We saw a lot of really good performances from kids on our team. GW really stepped up the pressure, even when we extended the lead, but we were able to make plays at the end of the game to hold on and earn a really strong win. " 
 
FGCU was led by 17 points apiece from a duo of upperclassmen. Senior Anthi Chatzigiakoumi (Athens, Greece/General Senior High School of Kallithea) went 7-for-11 from the field to record a new career high, while junior Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) used strong free-throw shooting to contribute to the team's total. Junior DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) put up 15 points for FGCU with nine made shots from the free-throw line, with Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) and senior Jenna Cobb (New Holland, Ohio/Miami Trace High School/Butler) each adding 12.
 
Knight led the team on the boards with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
 
As a unit, the Eagles shot 51 percent from the field with a 46.7 percent clip from 3-point range and made 31-of-41 from the free-throw line. The team held GW to 34.3 percent and limited the Colonials to just 5-of-21 shots from beyond-the arc. The visiting team outpaced FGCU on the boards, 50-30 but the Eagles led the turnover battle with 19 compared to GW's 25.
 
Dunson opened the contest for the Eagles with a layup from the right side of the lane but the FGCU lead was short lived. With six turnovers in the first four minutes of action, the Eagles allowed George Washington to convert nine-straight points to take a 16-6 just five minutes into the game.
 
Back-to-back long range shots from Knight and Chatzigiakoumi cut the Colonial streak with 14 minutes left to play and set the Eagles up for a strong comeback.
 
Over the next four minutes, the Green and Blue outscored GW 23-13 to bring the score to 29-26 with eight minutes on the clock. Two free throws from Knight cut the deficit to just one point before a drive to the basket from Atwater pushed the Eagles ahead for their first lead in 13 minutes of play.
 
With momentum on their side and the Alico audience roaring, the Eagles kept up with the Colonials for the next three minutes to hold onto a slight lead.
 
With three minutes left in the half, Cobb, Chatzigiakoumi and junior Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) combined for nine-straight points to push the lead to double figures at 44-33.  The Colonials added five points in the final minute to bring the score to 44-38 but the Eagles possessed the momentum as the teams went into the break.
 
Atwater brought the score to 46-38 with a layup on the team's first possession before Cobb and Dunson each added two points for a six-point run. The spark increased the FGCU lead 12 points with nearly 18 minutes left to play. With a double-digit advantage, the Eagles traded baskets with the Colonials before allowing the visitors to construct a five-point run. The run was halted by redshirt freshman Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) who sank a shot from beyond-the-arc to move the team's lead back to eight points. The bucket was Gradinjan's first field goal after sitting out for nearly two years with ACL repairs.
 
A 10-3 Colonial run midway through the half cut the score to 64-63 but the Eagles did not relinquish the lead. The Green and Blue broke through strong defensive pressure and found an open Jaime Gluesing (Solon, Ohio/Solon High School) at the post. The visitors again cut the Eagle lead to one point at 70-69 but four-consecutive free throws from Atwater and Dunson pushed the advantage back to five points.
 
The team used a six-point run to move the score to 80-71 before a 3-pointer from Knight helped the Eagles reclaim a double-figure lead and erupted the home crowd. FGCU held onto the lead through the final minutes of the contest and ultimately earned the win 88-75.
 
FGCU will be back in action at Alico Arena Tuesday, Nov. 18 when the Eagles take on in-state foe FIU. Tipoff in the Sunshine State matchup is slated for 7 p.m.
 
For the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, the Eagles will start the season with back-to-back home games against Division I opponents.  The Eagles have challenged the Panthers in each of the last five seasons and hold a 5-0 record against the cross-state foe.  Last year, FGCU defeated FIU 75-55 in Miami to begin the season. In all, the Eagles hold a record of 111-17 against foes from the Sunshine State.

Game Notes: The victory at home marked the seventh-straight win in a season opener for the Eagles…both FGCU (6) and GW (3) were ranked among ESPN's Mid-Major Top-10 to open the season…George Washington was 7-1 in its last eight season openers prior to Friday's game…the 1,879 fans in attendance were the most in a season opener since 2011 when FGCU faced Michigan State…GW was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10…GW was without star returner Jonquel Jones who was scratched late Friday due to illness.
 
Single-game tickets for all FGCU women's basketball games are on sale online at FGCUAthletics.com, over the phone at 239-590-7145 or in person at the Alico Arena Box Office.

Group sales for women's basketball games are available for parties of 20 or more at a discounted rate.  Beginning this season, groups will receive the opportunity for to upgrade their package to include chairback seats, a PA announcement and a special FGCU group T-Shirt at a cost of $10.
For up-to-the minute information on the FGCU women's basketball team, stay tuned to FGCUAthletics.com and follow the official Twitter of FGCU women's basketball at @FGCU_WBB.

Head coach Karl Smesko earned his fourth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2013-14 campaign. Under his direction, the team completed the season with a record of 26-8, including a 17-1 mark in conference action and won the program's 300th win in January. Smesko guided the Eagles to their fourth-consecutive regular season championship and went undefeated in the A-Sun Conference tournament to win their second Tournament Championship in three seasons.  The 2013-14 season marked the 10th-consecutive season in which a Smesko coached team won at least 20 games.  He has recorded 314 wins at FGCU with 117 Atlantic Sun victories.  The five-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher.  Smesko joins Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group.