FORT MYERS, Fla. – With a win in the season opener under its belt, the FGCU women's basketball team will continue action Tuesday night as the Eagles welcome cross-state foe FIU to Alico Arena. The midweek contest is slated for 7 p.m.

Tuesday's meeting marks the Eagles' second-straight home game against a Division I opponent. It is the first time the team has started the season that way since the 2010-11 campaign.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The game can be viewed live on ESPN3 free of charge with David Moutlon and J. Webb Horton on the call.  Fans can also find live in-game updates on twitter (@FGCU_WBB) and through live stats available via StatBroadcast.

TOP RETURNERS

Backed by five-time Coach of the Year Karl Smesko, the Eagles return two double-figure scorers in juniors Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) and Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) for the 2014-15 slate.  Knight led all returners last season with 12.3 points per game, with Haas contributing 11.6 to the team's total. This season, Knight earned preseason recognition as Preseason Player of the Year, while Haas and senior captain Jenna Cobb (New Holland, Ohio/Miami Trace High School/Butler) also earned Preseason All-Conference accolades.

Knight also returns as the team's top rebounder as she pulled down 5.3 rebounds per game last season. The redshirt-junior was one of the league's most versatile players with 93 blocks and a league-leading 85 shots made from beyond-the-arc.

In addition to the trio of top scorers, the Eagles return a wealth of experienced talent. The active roster features two seniors and eight juniors, who all contributed to the team's point total last season.

Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) and DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) round out the team's top returning producers and will likely make up the starting lineup this season. Atwater averaged 7.9 points per game with a field goal percentage of .435, while Dunson led the league with a stellar assist to turnover ratio and paced the team with 110 assists.

LAST TIME OUT

Backed by double-figures from five separate players, the team overcame a 10-point deficit to sail to an 88-75 win over George Washington University Friday night at Alico Arena.

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.

FGCU was led by 17 points apiece from a duo of upperclassmen. Chatzigiakoumi went 7-for-11 from the field to record a new career high, while Atwater used strong free-throw shooting to contribute to the team's total. Dunson put up 15 points for FGCU with nine made shots from the free-throw line, with Knight and Cobb 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.

ALL TIME MEETINGS

FGCU and FIU have met one time in each of the last five seasons.  The team holds a perfect 5-0 record against the Panthers and has outscored the opponent from Florida's west coach 77.2 to 61.0 points per game in those five showings.  In home games against FIU, the Eagles average 77.5 points per game.

LAST TIME AGAINST FIU

The Green and Blue opened the 2013-14 season at FIU with a 75-55 win. In Knight's return from an ACL year, the then-sophomore put up 25 points to lead the team, while Cobb scored 12 in her FGCU debut. The duo shot 50 percent from the field.

As a unit, FGCU shot 42.6 percent, while holding FIU to a 36 percent clip. While lead by Knight and Cobb, the Eagles saw five others contribute to the team's point total.

SCOUTING THE VISITING TEAM

• The Panthers return to Alico Arena Tuesday night with a 0-1 record on the season after going 15-18 a year ago. FIU's 2013-14 record included a 6-10 mark in Conference USA play and a 4-9 record on the road. The team finished 11th in the C-USA standings and failed to make a playoff appearance last March.

• As a unit, the Panthers averaged 69.1 points per game last season, while holding opponents to just under at 68.5 points per contest. The team shot 39.9 percent with a 30.3 clip from beyond-the-arc for an average of 4.6 treys a game. FIU pulled down over 40 rebounds per game to lead their opponents but averaged 13 turnovers with just 11 assists and six steals per game.

• This season, FIU was voted to finish 11th in the 14-team league after losing five letterwinners to graduation in the spring. Included in the losses is the nation's leading scorer from last season, Jerica Coley. Coley averaged 29.5 points per game last season, with no other team members contributing double figures. In all, the Panthers lost 65 percent of their 69.1 points per game last season.

• Individually, the Panthers will look to junior Taylor Shade and senior Tynia McKinzie this season. Shade averaged 9.5 points per game last season and scored 18 in the team's opener against Tennessee Tech. McKinzie is the team's returning rebounder with 7.4 last season. She added 14 points and 10 boards in the team's 73-56 loss to Tennessee Tech on Friday. Marita Davydova returns for the Panthers after redshirting last season. The senior led the team in rebounds two seasons ago and was an All-Sun Belt Conference selection that season.

• Head Coach Cindy Russo is in her 36th season with FIU and holds a 664-360 record, including five losses to FGCU head coach Karl Smesko. The Eagles have defeated FIU once in each of the last five years by a margin of 16.2 points per game.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

On the heels of four-consecutive regular season championships and the team's second Atlantic Sun Championship in three years, the Eagles were once against picked to win the Atlantic Sun in the annual preseason coaches' poll.

With 62 points and six first-place votes, the Eagles finished four points ahead of in-state rival Stetson University.  The Hatters garnered two first-place votes to finish second in the poll with 58 points. The Green and Blue picked up 11 first-place votes in the media poll for 123 total points, with Stetson earning four top nods and 104 total points.

The 2013-14 defending Atlantic Sun Champions earned three wins over the Hatters last season, including the regular season finale and the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Final. With help from those wins, the Eagles finished with their fourth-straight regular season title and earned their second tournament championship title in three seasons.

In addition to the team's predicted success, three individuals also garnered preseason All-Conference accolades.  As a former First Team All-Conference member, Knight picked up the Player of the Year nod, while Cobb and Haas also earned spots on the 10-member Preseason All-Conference team.

THE GREEN & BLUE

Under Smesko's direction, the team completed the 2013-14 season with a record of 26-8, including a 17-1 mark in conference action.  The Eagles won their fourth-consecutive regular season championship and went undefeated in the A-Sun Conference tournament to win their second Tournament Championship in three seasons.  With the A-Sun Championship, the Green and Blue earned their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years of eligibility, where they fell to eventual Sweet 16 team and no. 5 seed Oklahoma State 61-60 in overtime at the West Lafayette, Ind. Regional.  The 2013-14 season marked the 10th-consecutive season in which a Smesko coached team won at least 20 games.  

Smesko, who earned his fourth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2013-14 campaign, led the program to its 300th win in his 12th season. 

In addition to the on court success last season, the team was again ranked among the nation's top-25 teams academically.  The group finished the 2013-14 academic year with a cumulative grade point average of 3.521 to rank 11th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Honor Roll.

RAINING THREES

Backed by a 3-point shooting mark of 34.7 percent, the Eagles made an average of 10.2 long-range shots per game last season.  The tally ranked the Eagles second among the nation's 349 times, behind only Sacramento State, who tallied 12.2 3-pointers a game for a new NCAA 3-point record – which was previously set by the Eagles in 2012. 

The Green and Blue have a strong history in 3-point shooting, as the Eagles have made 3,384 shots from beyond-the-arc in just 12 years.  The team has also made a 3-pointer in 377 of the team's 378 games and is currently riding a 265 game streak with at least one shot made from the perimeter.

The Eagles hold the NCAA record for 3-point shots made in a single game with 22 – a mark set against ETSU in 2013.

Individually, 2012 graduate Kelsey Jacobson sits alone as the A-Sun's all-time leader in career 3-pointers with 330 made in just three seasons.

SMESKO'S PREPERATION

Smesko's game preparation is one of the most crucial factors in the Eagles' all-time success.  Last season, the team went 14-2 in games when they had four or more days to prepare.  In 13 seasons, Smesko holds a record of 109-20 in games with that much time for preparing for a win percentage of 84 percent. 

FOR MORE INFO

For all the details on Friday's matchup check out: 

UP NEXT

Following the midweek contest, the Eagles will travel to Auburn, Ala. For their first road contest of the year. The Green and Blue will face the Tigers of Auburn University Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Although it will be the first meeting between the two teams, 2014-15 marks the third-straight year that the Eagles will take on an SEC team and the eighth-straight year that the team will face a BCS foe.  The Green and Blue will welcome Auburn to Alico Arena during the 2015-16 season.

The team will return home Sunday, Nov. 23 for a 5 p.m. contest against Ave Maria.

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.