FORT MYERS, Fla. – After falling to SEC foe Auburn University Thursday in Alabama, the FGCU women's basketball team returns to Alico Arena Sunday evening to take on Ave Marie University. Tipoff in the intrastate matchup is slated for 5 p.m.

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.

THE GREEN AND BLUE

Backed by five-time Coach of the Year Karl Smesko, the Eagles returned 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. Prior to 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.

This season, Haas has led the team in two of three contests, including a career-high 30-point performance Thursday night at Auburn. The junior is averaging 16.7 points per game with a shooting percentage of .593. Knight also contributes scoring figures in the teens with 13.7 points per contest thus far. Knight has sank six 3-point shots, while leading the team with 6.3 rebounds per game with seven steals and four blocks.

The Eagles have seen six others contribute double-figures on at least one occasion with two others averaging at least 10 points per game. Cobb has contributed 11.0 points per game with a team-high 32 minutes played per contest, while Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) has put up 10.3 points with two starts so far this year.

As a team, the Eagles have averaged 84.7 points per game through three contests this season to outscore their opponents by 19.3 points per contest. The team has maintained a shooting percentage of .515 with a .417 clip from beyond-the-arc and has sank free throws at a rate of .781.

The Green and Blue has turned the ball over just 13.3 times, while dishing out 16.7 assists and grabbing 11.7 steals per game this season. All three categories sit better than their opponents, but the team has been outrebounded by 9.3 boards per game.

LAST TIME OUT

Despite a career-high 30 points from Haas, the FGCU women's basketball team came just shy of a win Thursday evening at Auburn University. The Eagles were outscored by the Tigers 6-3 in the final minute of action to fall 72-69 at Auburn Arena. 

After leading 37-35 at the half, the Eagles exchanged the lead with the home team seven times in the second half. Haas tied the contest at 66 with a drive to the right side of the rim with 1:18 left on the clock but the Tigers were quick to respond with a jumper near the one-minute mark.

On FGCU's next possession, the Eagles were charged with an offensive foul to give Auburn back the ball with 48 seconds on the clock. Auburn extended the lead to four points but a Haas' 3-pointer brought it back to one point with 22 seconds remaining.   After a timeout, the Eagles sent Auburn to the free-throw line where the Tigers sank one shot to bring the score to 71-69. Whitney Knight grabbed the rebound on the second shot and sent the ball down the court but the Eagles were again charged with an offensive foul with 3.1 ticks left to play. Auburn made one final shot from the free-throw line but the Eagles were unable to come close on a full-court shot at the buzzer and ultimately fell 72-69.

Overall, the Eagles shot 46.3 percent from the floor with a 40 percent clip from 3-point range. The team converted 9-of-10 shots from the free-throw line with 10 made shots from the perimeter.

ALL TIME MEETINGS

Despite just a 40 mile distance, the Eagles and Gyrenes have never met. After matching up with Auburn for the first time Thursday, the Eagles hold an all-time record of 100-35 in first-time meetings.

SCOUTING THE VISITING TEAM

• The Gyrenes finished the 2013-14 season with a record of 24-12 including an 11-5 mark in The Sun Conference and an appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.  This season, the team is off to a 4-3 start with recent wins over Clearwater Christian and Florida College and a loss to Flagler Saturday afternoon.

• Junior Annie Artise leads Ave Maria this season with 14.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game through seven games. Last season, Artise finished the year with an average of 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds with a team-high shooting percentage of .427. Senior Madison McDonald paces the scoring production with 16.4 points per game, while senior Ashley Rioux also contributes double-figures at 10.6. McDonald leads the team with a shooting percentage of .448 with 39 assists and 13 steals.

• As a unit, Ave Maria averages 75.3 points per game this season, while allowing opponents to score 63.9 points per contest. The Gyrenes successfully convert 40 percent of shots taken from the field with a 33.3 percent clip from 3-point range and average 8.6 made shots from beyond-the-arc per game.

• Head Coach Bob Batson is in his seventh year with Ave Maria. He is the first and only coach of the program and entered this season with a record of 125-66.

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.

RECENT HISTORY

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 3,414 shots from beyond-the-arc in 13 years.  The team has also made a 3-pointer in 380 of the team's 381 games and is currently riding a 268 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 Sunday evening bout, the Eagles will travel to St. Thomas for the 2014 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. The team will face Wichita State, Clemson and Ohio State over Thanksgiving recess. It will be the first meeting with each of the three teams.

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.