The Rundown: FGCU (19-2 | 6-0 A-Sun | 23 RPI) at Northern Kentucky (13-8 | 4-2 A-Sun | 186 RPI)
The Matchup: Karl Smesko (Kent State, '93) 13th season at FGCU (333-66/83.4%) v. Dawn Plitzuweit (Michigan Tech, '95) Third season at NKU (46-34/57.5%)
When: Saturday, Jan. 31
Where: The Bank of Kentucky Center | Highland Heights, Ky.
Video: via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
Live Stats: via Statbroadcast
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees | #ASunWBB
Series History: FGCU leads 3-1; Eagles fell 63-43 last season at NKU
Game Notes: FGCU  |  NKU
 
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – In the final contest of the first half of the Atlantic Sun slate, the FGCU women's basketball team will meet Northern Kentucky Saturday night in Highland Heights, Ky. as the team looks for its 15th-straight win. The bout stands as a rematch from last season's contest at NKU as the Norse handed the Eagles their only conference loss of the year and snapped a 44-game win streak against conference foes. Tipoff at The Bank of Kentucky Center is slated for 7 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast on NKUNorse.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 23 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 76-4 in the last five seasons.
3. FGCU is currently riding a 14-game win streak, which stands as the 6th-best in the nation. It's been nine weeks since the Eagles fell.
4. Junior Whitney Knight sits just seven 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 Friday, the team holds a ranking of 23 out of the nation's 349 programs with an overall record of 19-2 and a conference mark of 6-0. 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 5-1 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 6-0 for the sixth-consecutive season.
 
This year's team boasts two of the league's top-five scorers in Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) and Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School). Knight is pacing the squad with 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and leads the league with 61 made shots from the perimeter. The versatile guard also leads the league with 51 blocks on the season and ranks second with 43 steals. Atwater has recorded two 30+ point performances this season and has matches Knight with two A-Sun Player of the Week nods.
 
Collectively, the Eagles average 75.0 points per game, while holding their opposition to 57.5 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 .441 with a mark of .367 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. to 34.6 per game this year but hold an advantage in turnovers, 11.6 to 19.0 and steals, 9.3 to 5.0. FGCU ranks fourth in the country with a turnover margin of +7.43 and 12th 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.
 
WWWWWWWWWWWWWIN STREAK
With 14-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                          18 games
        19/21 Princeton                                   17 games
        RV/24 George Washington                    16 games
        25/NR Chattanooga                              14 games
 
The team also holds a 15-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.
 
MANY MILESTONES
Saturday's contest could see the Eagles hit several milestones. It stands as the program's 400th game and with 15 made field goals the team will hit its 10,000th bucket. Individually, Knight is just seven points away from her 1,000th career tally, while NKU's Melody Doss is 13 points away from the mark.
 
TOP-100
The Eagles hold a 5-1 record against the nation's top-100 teams based on RPI with 'W's over George Washington, Quinnipiac, Stetson and Wichita State. Their only loss was in an overtime battle against the Big Ten's Ohio State in the US Virgin Islands.       
 
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
With so many of the Eagles calling the Midwest home, Saturday's bout should feature a large FGCU fan base. The roster lists four from Ohio (Cobb, Haas, Payne, Smesko), three from Indiana (Goodall, Murrell, Moore), one from Indiana (Meador) and three from Wisconsin (Blumer, Cattani, Gradinjan).
 
LAST TIME OUT
With its 14th win in as many games, the team moved to 19-2 on the season with a 71-49 victory over Lipscomb University Thursday night at Allen Arena. FGCU maintains its position atop the Atlantic Sun Conference standings with a 6-0 conference record, while Lipscomb falls to 8-12 overall and an even 3-3 in league action.
 
After a slow start for both teams, the Eagles took control of the game with back-to-back 3-pointers and extended the lead to double-figures midway through the first half. The Eagles maintained a shooting percentage of 42.9 to hold on to the advantage and ultimately earned its fifth-straight double-digit victory. The win stands as the team's 14th-straight victory for the nation's sixth-best win streak.
 
Knight led the Eagles with 18 points and eight rebounds on the night. Knight now sits just seven points away from her 1,000th career point through 87 games in Green and Blue. The redshirt-junior added three assists and a season-high seven blocks in 30 minutes on the court, while Gradinjan and Meador also contributed double-figures with 11 points each. Thursday marked the second time in three games that Meador has scored at least 10 points after averaging just 2.5 points per game in the first 19 games of the year.
 
As a unit, the Eagles converted 42.9 percent of shots with a 34.4 percent success rate from 3-point range. The team went 12-for-16 from the free-throw line and dished out 17 assists, while forcing 20 Lipscomb turnovers and holding the Bisons to a rate of just 31.1 percent. FGCU also outrebounded Lipscomb 34-33.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE NORSE
As the newest members of the Atlantic Sun, the Eagles and Norse have met just four times. FGCU swept the series with two double-figure victories in 2012-13 but the teams split a year ago with each team winning at home. The Eagles have averaged 64.25 points per contest against NKU and have allowed the Norse to put up 54.75 a game.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST NKU
In its final home game of the regular season, FGCU earned a 67-53 victory over Northern Kentucky during the 2013-14 campaign. 
 
The home team struggled with a slow start and fell behind early on with a six-point deficit.  The Eagles never allowed the Norse to take complete control of the game but trailed the visiting team by one point at halftime.  FGCU produced a 17-2 run in the second half to take hold of the momentum and ultimately earned a 14-point victory.
 
Knight led the Eagles with 17 points on the night, while Hansen recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in her final regular season game at Alico Arena.  Haas and Cobb also added double figures for the Green and Blue with 14 and 10 points, respectively.  The offensive production was the fourth time in seven games that the Eagles saw four double-digit performers.
 
As a unit, the Eagles shot 42 percent from the field and made 9-of-28 shots from the perimeter.  FGCU made 16-of-22 free throws including 8-of-8 shots from the charity stripe in the final minute of action.
 
SCOUTING THE HOME TEAM
Northern Kentucky enters Saturday's matchup with a record of 13-8 with a 5-3 mark at home. The Nose earned a big win over Stetson Thursday night to move to 4-2 in A-Sun play and now sit tied for second place with the Hatters. NKU went 9-6 in nonconference play with wins over Marquette, Cincinnati and Delaware and has since earned victories over Lipscomb, USC Upstate, Jacksonville and Stetson in conference. The team's league losses came at the hands of Kennesaw State and North Florida.
 
As a unit, the Norse average 63.6 points per game and hold foes to just under at 62.8 points a contest. NKU has converted 37.2 percent of shots this season with a 30.3 clip from beyond-the-arc. The team ranks third in the league with a 3-point percentage defense of 28.3 percent, proving to be a strong matchup against the Eagles. NKU pulls down 36.5 rebounds per game, 3.2 boards fewer than foes and sits better than its opponents in assists, turnovers and blocks per game.
 
The Norse are led by two 13+ point scorers in junior Christine Roush and senior Melody Doss. Roush is currently leading the program with 13.6 points per game, while Doss stands at 13.3 points per contest. The duo added 24 points each in the win over Stetson and both rank among the top-10 scorers in the league.  Doss has recorded 987 points in her four-year career with the Norse and like Knight is on the verge of her 1,000th career point.  Junior Rianna Gayheart has facilitated the Norse offense with 64 assists on the season, while Kaitlyn Gerrety has fueled the NKU defense. Gerrety leads the squad with 5.5 rebounds per game and has added 29 steals and 35 blocks through 21 games.
 
Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit is in her third season at the helm of the Norse after previously serving as the Associate Head Coach at Michigan. Plitzuweit holds a record of 46-34 in three seasons with a 29-13 mark in A-Sun play.
 
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 117-20 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 Saturday's bout, the Eagles will begin the second round of A-Sun contests with a road game at in-state rival Stetson. The Eagles and Hatters will matchup Saturday afternoon as part of a men's/women's double header in what will be one of the team's biggest challenges of the season.
 
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 333-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.4 with a mark of 123-13 (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.