The Rundown: FGCU (18-2 | 5-0 A-Sun | 21 RPI) at Lipscomb (8-11 | 3-2 A-Sun | 257 RPI)
The Matchup: Karl Smesko (Kent State, '93) 13th season at FGCU (332-66/83.4%) v. Greg Brown (Lipscomb '93) Third season at LU (17-61/21.7%)
When: Thursday, Jan. 29 | 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Allen Arena | Nashville, Tenn.
Video: via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
Live Stats: via Statbroadcast
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees | #ASunWBB
Series History: FGCU leads 14-0 in all matchups dating back to 2007-09
Game Notes: FGCU  |  Lipscomb
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In an effort to remain atop the Atlantic Sun Conference standings, the FGCU women's basketball team will travel to Lipscomb University Thursday night for a road contest against the Lady Bisons. Tipoff at Lipscomb's Allen Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast on LipscombBisons.com with a video stream available through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app. As always, fans can also find live updates via Twitter at @FGCU_WBB.
 
GAME DAY TWEETABLES
1. FGCU currently holds an RPI rating at 21 after rising to a program-best 13 to start Atlantic Sun action.  #EaglesRising
 
2. In a quest for its fifth-straight #ASunWBB Championships, the Eagles have compiled a record of 75-4 in the last five seasons.
 
3. FGCU is currently riding a 13-game win streak, which stands as the 7th-best in the nation. It's been nine weeks since the Eagles fell.
 
4. Junior Whitney Knight sits just 25 away from her 1,000th career point.
 
5. FGCU picked up votes in both the AP Top-25 & the USA Today Coaches' Poll for Week 12.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
With help from the strong record and the team's strength of schedule, the Eagles climbed to a program-best RPI rating of 13 at the end of nonconference action and have since hovered around the top-25. As of Tuesday, the team holds a ranking of 21 out of the nation's 349 programs with an overall record of 18-2 and a conference mark of 5-0. FGCU remains atop the A-Sun standings with the perfect record.
 
The team picked up notable wins over George Washington, Quinnipiac, Wichita State, Arkansas State, Cal-State Northridge and Harvard in nonconference action before defeating rival Stetson in the first week of conference play. Those marquee wins gave FGCU a record of 6-1 against the RPI's top-100 teams, with the only loss coming in double overtime to Ohio State. The team has since remained undefeated in A-Sun play and started the conference slate with a record of 5-0 for the sixth-consecutive season.
 
This year's team boasts three double-figure scorers in Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School), Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) and Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School). Knight is pacing the squad with 15.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and leads the league with 57 made shots from the perimeter. Atwater and Haas have contributed 14.0 and 10.1 points per contest, respectively, and have each recorded 30+ point performances this season. Atwater most recently scored 32 in the team's 61-47 win over Kennesaw State Saturday.
 
Collectively, the Eagles average 75.3 points per game, while holding their opposition to 58.0 points per contest for the league's best scoring average and scoring margin. The scoring margin also ranks among the top-15 in the nation and stands fewer than three points per game out of the top-10. The team has maintained a shooting percentage of .442 with a mark of .368 from the perimeter this year. The Eagles rank second in the NCAA and first among the Atlantic Sun with 10.2 shots made from beyond-the-arc per game and only sit behind last year's national leader in Sacramento State and are tied with DePaul. On defense, the Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded, 36.5 to 34.6 per game this year but hold an advantage in turnovers, 11.5 to 19.0 and steals, 9.5 to 4.9. FGCU ranks fourth in the country with a turnover margin of +7.45 and 11th nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 1.30.
 
The Eagles currently lead the Atlantic Sun Conference in points per game, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, turnover margin, assist to turnover ratio, assists per game and win-loss percentage.
 
WWWWWWWWWWWWIN STREAK
With 13-straight wins, the Eagles currently hold the nation's seventh-best win streak. They sit behind only these teams
       
        1/1 South Carolina                               19 games
        2/2 UConn, 3/3 Baylor, 19/21 Princeton  17 games
        RV/24 George Washington                    16 games
        25/NR Chattanooga                              14 games
 
The team also holds a 14-game win streak in conference games dating back to last season to rank sixth in the nation and sits only behind the nation's top two teams in Connecticut and South Carolina with 22-straight wins at home, a streak that also spans two seasons.
 
RECEIVING VOTES
The Eagles are now receiving votes in both the AP Top-25 and the USA Today Coaches' Poll. FGCU earned three votes in each poll to rank among the nation's top teams.
 
The Green and Blue previously received votes in the coaches' poll during the 2012 season and at the completion of the 2013-14 campaign. The team picked up votes in the AP Poll on two occasions during the 2013-14 season. Week 12 marks the first time that the team has received votes this year.
 
In addition to the national polls, the Eagles earned a fifth-place ranking in last week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25.
 
TOP-100
The Eagles hold a 6-1 record against the nation's top-100 teams based on RPI with 'W's over George Washington, Quinnipiac, Stetson, Wichita State and Cal-State Northridge. Their only loss was in an overtime battle against the Big Ten's Ohio State in the US Virgin Islands.      
 
LAST TIME OUT
With 32 of the team's 61 points, Atwater led the team to its 13th-straight win Saturday evening at Alico Arena as the Eagles defeated Kennesaw State 61-47 to move to 18-2 on the season with a perfect 5-0 mark in Atlantic Sun action.
 
The Eagles produced seven 3-pointers in the first half, while converting 54 percent of shots to take control of the game early on. With Atwater's strong performance and consistent offensive intensity, the Eagles took the lead in the early minutes and never let go. FGCU went ahead by 23 in the second half and ultimately earned a 14-point victory for its 59th-straight conference win at home.
 
Atwater led all players with 32 points and was just one point shy of tying her career-high and the FGCU Division I scoring record. Atwater is the only A-Sun player to have scored 30 points or more this season and has done it on two occasions. In 37 minutes on the floor, Atwater went 13-for-19 from the field with four made shots from 3-point range and two makes from the free-throw line.
 
Cobb added to the Eagles' point total with 10 on the night, while Knight contributed six points and led the team with nine rebounds and five blocks.
 
As a unit, the Eagles shot 47.1 percent on the night and held the Owls to 35.3 percent. The Owls outrebounded the Green and Blue 33-21 and forced the team to turn the ball over 17 times, but FGCU's 10 makes from the perimeter helped the team maintain control of the game and earn the win. The team's win streak now stands as the seventh-best run in the nation.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE BISONS
The Eagles and Bisons have met on 14 occasions since the 2007-08 season with the Green and Blue earning the win each time. The perfect 14-0 record was aided by three wins during the 2013-14 season, including a 92-53 win in the Atlantic Sun Tournament quarterfinal.
 
In last year's meeting at Allen Arena, the Eagles trailed at halftime but ultimately defeated Lipscomb 63-46. The team has outscored LU by an average of 75-48 points per game and has held the Bisons to fewer than 60 points in all but two meetings.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST LU
The top-seeded FGCU women's basketball team defeated no. 8 Lipscomb University 92-53 in last season's A-Sun quarterfinal hosted by FGCU at Alico Arena.
 
The 39-point victory set a new mark as the largest margin of victory in an Atlantic Sun Championship game as the Green and Blue moved to 24-7 on the season.
 
The Eagles held Lipscomb to just 10 points in the first half, the fewest any Division I opponent has scored against the Eagles.  With a season-high 10 blocks and eight steals, the FGCU defense held Lipscomb to 8.8 percent from the field in the first half and 28 percent overall.  Led by a well-rounded performance that included five double-figure scorers, the Eagles extended the lead to a game-high 47 points in the second half and ultimately earned a 39-point win.
 
SCOUTING THE HOME TEAM
Having already surpassed last year's win total and winners of three straight, Lipscomb possesses an 8-11 win-loss total and a winning A-Sun mark of 3-2. The Lady Bisons have rattled off three-consecutive league wins, all by a nine-point margin victory or higher, over Kennesaw State, Jacksonville and North Florida, respectively. LU's three-game winning streak commenced after a narrow three-point loss at USC Upstate on Jan. 14 and stands as the team's first three-game run in conference play since the 2007-08 season.
 
Heading into this season, Lipscomb was selected to finish seventh out of eight teams in the A-Sun preseason poll after finishing last season with a mark of 6-24 and a conference record of 3-15.
 
Junior Ashley Southern returns once against as the Lady Bisons leading scorer after earning Preseason All-Conference Team honors. After breaking last season's school record for double-doubles in a season and most in A-Sun play since 2008, Southern guides this year's efforts with club-bests of 14.2 points per games and 8.8 rebounds per game. Southern is converting at a clip of 45.3 percent from the floor and leads the team with 16 blocks. Third-year guard Danay Fothergill is Lipscomb's top shooter from behind the arc, making 42-of-93 shots for a conversion percentage of 45.2. Fotherfill's three-point field goal percentage is the ninth-best figure in the nation. Rookie Emily Eubank has made an immediate made impact offensively for LU with team-high 78 assists, while senior guard Sarah Bliss is third in scoring with 10.8 points per outing and leads the team with 29 steals.
 
Much like FGCU, a majority of Lipscomb's damage occurs behind the arc. The Lady Bisons are converting 35.9 percent from three-point range, the A-Sun's second-best mark behind the Eagles. LU also sinks 8.5 long balls per contest, second only to FGCU. Overall from the floor, the Lady Bisons have assembled a mark of 41.1 percent from the floor but the Bisons have struggled on the glass and have been outrebounded but a margin of 6.7 boards per game.
 
Head coach Greg Brown is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater. Brown is looking to double his win total each season after a 3-26 total in 2012-13 and a 6-24 record in his second year at LU.
 
SMESKO'S PREPARATION
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 116-20 in games with that much time for preparing for a win percentage of 84 percent. 
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
Following Thursday's matchup in Nashville, the Green and Blue will travel further north to Highland Heights, Ky. for a Saturday night bout with Northern Kentucky. The Eagles and Norse will face off at 7 p.m. before the teams begin the second round of conference play next week.
 
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 maintains a record of 332-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.4 with a mark of 122-13 (90.2 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests.  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.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.