The Rundown: FGCU (13-2 | 14 RPI) v. Stetson (11-3 | 52 RPI)
When: Saturday, Jan. 10 | 4 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena
Video: via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
Live Stats: via Statbroadcast
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees | #ASunWBB
Series History: FGCU leads 14-3 all time, 8-1 in last three seasons, 8-0 at Alico
Swish Appeal Spotlight Game Information: available via SwishAppeal.com
Game Notes: FGCU | Stetson | Atlantic Sun
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – In the most anticipated game of the season thus far, the FGCU women's basketball team will open Atlantic Sun action Saturday against Stetson University. The Eagles will host the Hatters in a 4 p.m. matchup as part of a men's/women's double header at Alico Arena.
 
Saturday's contest pits the league's top two teams against each other in a pivotal matchup. The Eagles will look to protect a 55-game win streak in home conference games as they face the Hatters in the afternoon bout. Stetson will be looking for redemption as the Green and Blue earned its fourth-straight regular season title at Stetson last season and again defeated the Hatters in overtime in the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast on FGCUAthletics.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.
 
Saturday's matchup will also be featured on SwishAppeal.com, SBNation.com's women's basketball platform, as the Spotlight Game of the Week. The bout between the A-Sun's top two teams marks the first time the website has featured a mid-major game. As part of the coverage, fans can join a live-chat during the game via SwishAppeal.com.
 
PROMOTIOINS
Saturday's game features a variety of ticketing promotions. As fans are encouraged to wear white for a 'white out', all children 13 and under will be admitted free of charge if they are wearing white.
 
Tickets for Saturday's matchup are still available. All general-admission seating is $10, and with a ticket to the men's 7 p.m. game against Stetson fans will be granted free admission to the women's contest. However, fans who just possess a women's ticket will not receive free admission to the men's game.
 
Red T-shirts will be on sale in the lobby of Alico Arena through both games Saturday for fans to wear for February's 'red outs'. All proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association.
 
The featured game sponsor for the double header is Moe's Southwest Grill.
 
GAME DAY TWEETABLES
1. FGCU currently holds its best ever RPI rating at 14. The team has consistently moved up since starting the season at 100. #EaglesRising
 
2. The Eagles begin the quest for their fifth-straight #ASunWBB Regular Season Championship against Stetson.
 
3. FGCU is currently riding a 55-game win streak in home conference games. It's been 6+ years since they lost an A-Sun game at home.
 
4. The Eagles currently average 1.07 points per possession to rank eighth in the nation, just .12 points per possession behind top-ranked UConn.
 
5. FGCU has not lost a game in regulation in over seven weeks of competition.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU will open Atlantic Sun action with the Hatters in the friendly confines of Alico Arena. After picking up wins over Arkansas State, Cal State-Northridge, Quinnipiac and Harvard to end the nonconference slate, the Eagles enter conference play with a record of 13-2 and a program-best RPI rating of 14. The team's only two losses came in close contests with a three-point loss at Auburn and a double-overtime defeat at the hands of Ohio State. The strong schedule thus far has aided in the team's RPI rise to the current mark of 14 and has rated the Eagles among the top-30 in strength of schedule this season.
 
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 and Haas joined senior Jenna Cobb (New Holland, Ohio/Miami Trace High School/Butler) as this season's Preseason All-Conference award winners with Knight voted as Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Junior Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) and Knight have swapped time as the team's point leader with Knight currently pacing the team with 15.6 points per game. After pacing the Eagles against Quinnipiac and Harvard, Atwater is averaging 14.4 points per contest to rank second on the team. Haas is also contributing double figures with 12.3, while Cobb sits just behind the trio with 8.3 points per game in addition to her 42 assists and 26 steals.
 
Knight leads the squad all around with 29 blocks and 35 steals on the year, while DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 56 assists in 15 games so far. Knight's 35, Atwater's 33 and Cobb's 26 steals all rank among the top-five in the conference for total steals.
 
Redshirt-freshman Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) entered the starting lineup in December and is now averaging 5.9 points in 15 games. Gradinjan has started eight of the team's 14 games this season and currently leads the team and the league with a 3-point percentage of .500.
 
Senior Anthi Chatzigiakoumi (Athens, Greece/General Senior High School of Kallithea) has performed well for the Eagles recently and is averaging 7.8 points in 16.9 minutes per game. The senior played a career-high 28 minutes at Harvard with 15 points with three makes from the perimeter.
 
As a whole, the Eagles average 78.2 points per game, while holding foes to 61.1 points per contest. The team holds a shooting percentage of .450 with a 3-point percentage of .384 so far this year. The Eagles rank fourth in the NCAA and first among the Atlantic Sun with 9.9 shots made from the perimeter and third in the nation with the strong shooting percentage. Defensively, the Green and Blue have been narrowly outrebounded, 36.9 to 34.5 per game this year but hold an advantage in turnovers, 11.7 to 19.4 and steals, 10.1 to 5.2. FGCU ranks fifth in the country with a turnover margin of +7.73 and 14th nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 1.28.
 
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 rebounding defense.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In its fourth road contest in two weeks, the FGCU women's basketball team came from behind to defeat Harvard 68-58 at Harvard's Lavietes Pavilion last Friday. With the strong road win, the Eagles, who entered the matchup ranked 14 in the official RPI, finished nonconference competition a record of 13-2.
 
After exchanging the lead with the Eagles 11 times, the home team took hold of a game high six-point lead with 6:33 left to play. The Eagles hailed for a timeout before sparking the strongest streak of the season thus far. Backed by four forced Harvard turnovers and five made field goals on nine attempts, the Green and Blue produced 19-straight points to take hold of game and forge ahead with the lead. The Crimson were unable to stop the Eagle's momentum and watched as FGCU turned the six-point deficit into a 13-point advantage in a span of just six minutes. Harvard sank one final three but the Eagles maintained the lead to win their eighth-straight contest with the 68-58 final score.
 
Despite being outshot and outrebounded by the home team, the Eagles produced 25 points on 22 Harvard turnovers to hold the contest's advantage. FGCU shot 36.1 percent from the field with a 34.5 percent clip from 3-point range and pulled down 30 rebounds.
 
Atwater led the Eagles with 19 points on the night, while Knight put up 18 points with a team-best five rebounds before fouling out with just over a minute to go. Chatzigiakoumi contributed 15 points and four rebounds as the trio combined for 52 of the team's 69 points. Atwater also tied her career high and led the team with six steals.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE HATTERS
The Eagles hold a strong 14-3 record against the Hatters in seven years in the Atlantic Sun. In the last three seasons, FGCU is 8-1 with the lone loss coming in the 2013 Atlantic Sun Championship final. Last year, the Eagles defeated Stetson three times, including in the regular season finale and in the conference championship final. All time, the Eagles are 8-0 at Alico Arena.
 
Last year's conference final featured seven lead changes and three tie scores. After trailing 31-27 at halftime, the Eagles fought back to tie the game at 60 at the end of regulation. FGCU went 6-for-9 from the free-throw line and shot 75 percent in overtime to seal the victory and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Cobb led the team with 19 points, while Atwater put up 14 with 11 rebounds. Both were named to the All-Tournament Team with Cobb picking up MVP honors.
 
SCOUTING THE VISITING TEAM
Stetson enters the 2014-15 Atlantic Sun slate after constructing a program-best nonconference record of 11-3. The Hatters started the season with a 30-point win over Bethune-Cookman and won four-straight in the month of November before picking up losses to #13 Baylor, USF and Florida in the following weeks. Since the narrow loss at UF, Stetson has picked up four-straight wins including a 73-62 victory at Valparaiso to start the 2015 calendar year. The team is 3-3 on the road with a 2-0 record in neutral contests.
 
The Hatters were voted to finish second in the Atlantic Sun, behind only FGCU, in the preseason coaches' poll and have finished as runner-up in the standings in each of the last three seasons. As a unit, the Hatters rank second in the conference in scoring offense and scoring margin at 71.9 points score per game and a 13.8 point advantage over opponents. The Hatters lead the Atlantic Sun and rank among the top-30 in the nation in defensive categories as they allow just 58.1 points per game and hold foes to a 34.8 percent mark from the field. Stetson also ranks among the top-3 in the league in free-throw percentage, 3-pointers made per game and turnover margin and leads the league in steals per game and blocks per game.
 
Individually, the Hatters boast four players averaging double figures, the most for any A-Sun team. Sophomore Amber Porter leads the squad with 13.8 points per game, while Myeisha Hall and Jama Sharp contribute 12.9 points each. Sophomore Brianti Saunders adds 12.7 and has started 13 of the team's 14 contests, with the other three in the starting lineup for all 14 games thus far.
 
Porter's field goal percentage of .510 tops the team, while Sharp leads the squad from 3-point range at .369. Porter paces the team on the boards with 7.6 per game and has compiled 32 total blocks, with Sharp leading the team and the league in assists and steals. Of the team's returners, Sharp pushed the Hatters against the Eagles in last year's Atlantic Sun Championship with 13 points and eight rebounds in 42 minutes but had five turnovers and shot just 1-for-5 from 3-point range.
 
Saturday's matchup pits the league's top two teams against each other in a strong showdown. The Eagles lead the league in points per game and shooting percentage, while the Hatters top the rankings in points allowed and shooting percentage defense.
 
In her seventh season at Stetson, head coach Lynn Bria holds a record of 119-90. In 20 seasons overall, Bria maintains a mark of 272-303 with previous experience at UCF and Ohio. At Stetson, Bria has guided the Hatters to two conference titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two WNIT bids and four-consecutive 20+ win seasons.
 
POINTS PER POSSESSION
With a mark of 1.07 points scored per possession, FGCU currently ranks eighth in the nation in offensive efficiency. The Eagles rank among the top-10 with the likes of national powerhouses UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Baylor and Maryland and sit just .12 points per possession behind national leader, UConn.
 
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, behind only James Madison, Green Bay, Princeton and Chattanooga. Of the team's opponents this season, four rank among the top-25 – Wichita State (6), Quinnipiac (9), Stetson (13), Cal-State Northridge (19), while Arkansas State and Kennesaw State are also receiving votes.
 
1. Princeton                6. Wichita State
2. James Madison       7. Gonzaga
3. Green Bay              8. UALR
4. Chattanooga           9. South Dakota State
5. FGCU                    10. BYU
 
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 114-20 in games with that much time for preparing for a win percentage of 84 percent. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

 
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's matchup, the Eagles will continue Atlantic Sun action with a home game against the Ospreys of North Florida. FGCU will host UNF Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.  
 
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 327 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.
 
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 visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.