The Matchup: Providence (3-6) @ FGCU (6-2)
When: Thursday, Dec. 11 | 7 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena (4,333)
Tickets: Available online or at the Alico Arena Ticket Office
Promotion: Fans are encouraged to bring toy donations for Toys for Tots
Video: ESPN3 with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton
Live Stats: via Statbroadcast
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees
Series History: First meeting
Game Notes: FGCU  |  Providence 
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – In the second contest of a two-game home stand, the FGCU women's basketball team will host Providence College Thursday evening at Alico Arena. The Eagles and Friars will tip off at 7 p.m. in the clubs' first-ever meeting.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
The game can be viewed live on ESPN3 free of charge with David Moulton 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.
 
GAME DAY TWEETABLES
1. FGCU currently ranks second in the nation with 11.6 3-pointers made per game. The team sits behind only Sacramento State (13.1).
 
2. Four of the Eagles' five probable starters average 10.0 points per game or more with Dunson leading the team with 32 assists.
 
3. After scoring a career-high 23 points against Southern Miss. redshirt-freshman Taylor Gradinjan was named the #ASunWBB Newcomer of the Week.
 
4. For the sixth-straight season, the Eagles were selected to finish atop the
#ASunWBB standings.
 
5. With 93 made long-range buckets, 42 percent of the team's points come from beyond-the-arc.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU continues nonconference action with a record of 6-2 after going 2-1 in the U.S. Virgin Islands and picking up a strong win over Southern Mississippi at home last weekend. The team's two losses came in close contests with a three-point loss at Auburn and a double-overtime defeat at the hands of Ohio State.
 
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 currently leads all players with 14.6 points per game this season, while Haas has contributed 12.4 points per contest. Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) ranks second on the team with 12.8 points per game and leads the team with 31 made shots from the free-throw line. Senior captain Jenna Cobb (New Holland, Ohio/Miami Trace High School/Butler) also produces double figures at 10.0 points per game and currently leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game.
 
Knight leads the squad all around with 18 blocks and 17 steals on the year, while DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 32 assists in eight games so far.
 
Redshirt-freshman Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) put up a career-high 23 points against Southern Miss. and is now averaging 6.5 points in eight games. The technical newcomer earned her first A-Sun weekly honor for the performance.
 
As a unit, the Eagles average 72.4 points per game, while holding foes to 62.8 points per contest. The team holds a shooting percentage of .463 with a 3-point percentage of .40` so far this year. The Eagles rank second in the NCAA with 11.6 shots made from the perimeter. Defensively, the Green and Blue have been narrowly outrebounded, 35.0 to 36.9 per game this year but hold an advantage in turnovers, 12.5 to 19.5 and steals, 10.0 to 5.9.
 
The Eagles currently lead the Atlantic Sun Conference in points per game, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, assists, turnover margin, assist to turnover ratio and rebounding defense.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In its first game after a double-overtime loss to Ohio State, the FGCU women's basketball team defeated Southern Mississippi 78-62 Saturday night at Alico Arena. The Eagles saw career-high scoring from Gradinjan and Atwater en route to their sixth win of the season and moved to 6-2 with the victory. The Golden Eagles of USM fall to 6-2 on the year with the all-time series now tied at one each.
 
After a close battle in the opening minutes of the game, the Eagles produced a 17-point run that spanned six minutes to take control of the game. With nine made shots from the perimeter, the Eagles endured the Southern Miss. defensive pressure and went into the break with a 39-27 lead. The visitors outshot the Eagles from the field in the second half, but led by Gradinjan and Atwater, the Green and Blue maintained its point production and ultimately extended the lead to 17 points.
 
The win marked the Eagles' 15th-straight victory at Alico Arena.
 
As a unit, the Eagles outshot Southern Miss. narrowly, 39.2 percent to 37.9 percent, but produced greater shots from the perimeter with a 12-5 advantage from beyond-the-arc. The Green and Blue was outrebounded 40-37 but held the advantage defensively with a 27-26 defensive board margin and 19 forced turnovers. The Eagles capitalized heavily on USM miscues, with 28 points on turnovers and also added 17 second-chance points. Despite heavy defensive pressure from the Golden Eagles, FGCU turned the ball over just 13 times.
 
Gradinjan led the charge for FGCU with a career-high 23 points, with Atwater contributing 22 on the night. In Gradinjan's 23 minutes on the court, the redshirt-freshman went 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Gradinjan also pulled down a career-best nine rebounds to lead the team.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE FRIARS
FGCU meets the Friars for the first time in program history. Providence becomes the Eagles' 139th all-time opponent as the team enters the contest with a record of 102-36 in first-time meetings.
 
LAST TIME V. THE BIG EAST
The Eagles have faced a Big East team in three of the last four seasons with a neutral matchup against DePaul and a home-and-home with Seton Hall.  Both teams earned wins on their home courts, while the Eagles fell to DePaul narrowly in the 2012 Paradise Jam with a 60-58 loss.  Overall, the team is 2-3 against the classic basketball conference.
 
SCOUTING THE VISITORS
- The Friars fly south the Alico Arena with a 3-6 overall record after winning its lone conference game against Villanova on Dec. 3 (51-49). Providence is still searching for its first victory on the road, having lost its previous four trips away from its home court of Alumni Hall. The Friars were picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST preseason poll, despite recording just seven wins 2013-14 and finishing 10th in the BIG EAST standings.
 
- Fourteen of the Friars 23 losses during the 2013-14 campaign were decided by 10 points or less. The Friars finished the 2013-14 season with a 7-23 overall record and a 2-16 mark in the BIG EAST.
 
- PC senior Alexis Harris was one of 10 players named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team while sophomore point guard Sarah Beal was an Honorable Mention selection.
 
- Tori Rule leads the club in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game while her 18 total steals is also a team best. Rule is Providence's biggest deep threat, having converted 17-of-57 3-pointers and shooting 42.4 percent from the floor. Harris is second in scoring, logging 14.1 points per game and touts the Friars' best shooting percentage of 49.6. Harris is also second on the team in total rebounds, pulling down eight boards per game while Chanise Baldwin's mark of 73 rebounds stands as a team best. Baldwin is fourth in scoring with 7.4 points per game and has chipped in with nine steals and nine blocks. Beal is PC's primary distributor, handing out 44 assists on the season while turning in the Friars' third-best scoring clip of 9.8 points per game.
 
- As a team, Providence is averaging 63.2 points per game while its opponents are producing 66.8.  From the field, the Friars convert at a clip of 40.3 percent while their foes are successfully scoring at a rate of 43.9 percent. Providence is strong on the glass, possessing a +1.6 rebounding margin over its opponent, pulling down 37.7 rebounds per game. From behind the arc, Providence has sank 32-of-144 3-point attempts for an average of 3.6 per game.
 
- Susa Robinson Fruchtl, a former All-America selection and Penn State's only recipient of the Wade Trophy, is in her third year at the helm of Providence's program. At Providence, Robinson Fruchtl has posted a win-loss total of 17-52 (.264) and for her career, she is 91-135 (.403). Prior to Providence, Robinson Fruchtl mounted a 74-83 (.471) mark at Saint Francis University.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Eagles currently holds a perfect 4-0 mark in games played at Alico Arena.  In all, the team is 105-8 in all-time Division I games played at home.
 
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.
 
MID-MAJOR MADNESS
After concluding the 2013-14 season ranked at no. 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, the Eagles opened the season at no. 11. Since then, the Green and Blue jumped to no. 5 and currently stand at no. 4, behind only James Madison, Green Bay and Princeton. Of the team's opponents this season, five rank among the top-25 – Wichita State (7), Stetson (13), Cal-State Northridge (18), Quinnipiac (21) and Arkansas State (25), while Harvard and Northern Colorado are also receiving votes.
 
1. James Madison       6. Gonzaga
2. Green Bay              7. Wichita State
3. Princeton                8. UALR
4. FGCU                    9. Albany
5. Chattanooga           10. South Dakota State
 
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 110-20 in games with that much time for preparing for a win percentage of 84 percent. 
 
FOR MORE INFO
For all the details on the matchup check out:
 
UP NEXT
Following Thursday's contest, the Eagles will break for the weekend before traveling across the Sunshine State to take on Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach Wednesday, Dec. 17. The Green and Blue are 3-0 against the Wildcats with a win in each of the last three seasons.
 
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 320 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.