GREENSBORO, N.C. – Solidified by a strong third-quarter performance, the FGCU women's basketball team began the year with a 60-36 win at North Carolina A&T Friday evening at the Corbett Sports Center. With the win, the Eagles start the year at 1-0 for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, while NC A&T begins the season at 0-1.
 
The Eagles took a 27-17 lead into halftime but exploded in the third quarter with sharp shooting and an overall advantage over the home team. The Green and Blue went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and shot 72.1 percent overall, while outscoring the Aggies 22-7 over the 10-minute span. FGCU also outrebounded NC A&T 10-4 in that time and forced four turnovers. The Eagles maintained the double-figure deficit through the fourth quarter and ultimately earned a 24-point win on the road. Overall, the Eagles shot 46.8 percent from the field with nine made 3-pointers on 26 attempts and held the home team to a 33.3 percent clip from the floor. The team forced 25 A&T turnovers with 12 steals and sent A&T to the free-throw line for just two shots.
 
FGCU outrebounded the Aggies, 33-28, and forced 25 A&T turnovers. The Eagles saw 10 different players contribute in points and rebounds and had six individuals sink a shot from 3-point range for a well-balanced attack. Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) paced all players with 14 points on the night with a 4-for-4 3-point performance and a 5-for-6 effort overall. Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) added 12 points for the Green and Blue, while Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) contributed eight points and tied her career high with seven assists.
 
"I thought we had really good defensive intensity tonight," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We executed very well on defense. North Carolina A&T plays really good defense themselves, so it was a struggle to score tonight. Overall, I'm pleased with how many people were able to contribute and hopefully we can start the process of getting better every day now."
                           
Atwater scored the first basket of the 2015-16 season with a left-side drive in the third minute of play. She added another layup two minutes later before Dunson sank the team's first 3-pointer of the year near the six-minute mark. The teams traded possessions through the midpoint of the quarter before a 3-pointer from Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) pushed the Eagle lead to 11-4. With help from 11 A&T turnovers, the Eagles went into the first break with a 12-7 lead.
 
Gradinjan opened the second quarter with her first 3-pointer of the night, sparking an increase in pace for both teams. Transfer Kady Schrann (York, Pa./York Catholic/Vanderbilt) halted any Aggie momentum with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc at the seven-minute mark and helped extend the FGCU lead to double figures with a long pass to Jaime Gluesing (Solon, Ohio/Solon High School), who put up a layup to make the score 21-11 midway through the second quarter. The home team produced a 6-1 run to cut the deficit back to five late in the half but another Gradinjan long-range shot took back control for the Green and Blue. Single free throws from Dunson and Haas added another pair of points to the team's point total as the Eagles went into the break with a 27-17 advantage.
 
The third quarter proved to be the game's turning point as the Aggies moved to a zone defense and the Eagles' shooting thrived. Gradinjan and Dunson combined for a 10-4 run in the first five minutes with four made field goals on four attempts and a pair of successful free throws. The home team made one long-range shot at the quarter's midpoint before Katie Meador (Salem, Ill./Salem Community High School), Dunson, Atwater and Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wisc./Muskego High School) sank four of the next five attempts for a 10-point run to end the quarter. The Eagles outscored A&T 22-7 in the 10-minute span by going 4-for-5 from 3-point range with a field-goal percentage of 72.7 percent.
 
FGCU maintained the momentum through the final stanza and never allowed the home team to get within 20 points as time expired. The Eagles scored another 11 points in the fourth quarter to earn the 60-36 win.
 
The Eagles return to Southwest Florida for the 2015-16 home opener Tuesday, Nov. 17. FGCU welcomes cross-state foe FAU to Alico Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Tuesday will be the first-ever meetings between the Sunshine State opponents. Prior to the game, the Eagles will unveil the NCAA Tournament Second Round Appearance banner as well as banners for both the 2015 A-Sun Regular Season Title and A-Sun Championship crown.
 
Single game and season tickets are still available at the FGCU Ticket Office or online at FGCUAthletics.com/tickets.
                    
GAME NOTES: Katie Meador returned to the court after tearing her ACL in the Mar. 11 semifinal game against Jacksonville…Meador started Friday evening and played 20 minutes with two points and a team-high four rebounds…senior Whitney Knight sat out Friday as she recovers from a foot injury…Kaneisha Atwater tied her career-high with seven assists…the Eagles saw 12 players take the court Friday with 10 scoring at least two points…the team recorded 19 turnovers, tying the team high from last year, set against George Washington to open the season…FGCU won its seventh season opener in the last eight seasons and fourth straight…the Eagles' first game with the new four-quarter format took exactly 90 minutes.                                                 
 
 
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.
 
TICKET SALES
Season tickets for the 2015-16 season are still available but selling quickly. Ticket packages range from $133 for general admission to $366 for club-level seating. A complete breakdown is below. Fans can secure their season tickets by calling the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by emailing tickets@fgcu.edu.
 
For reserved seating, membership to the Eagles Club may be required depending on priority level. The Eagles Club is the official booster organization for FGCU Athletics which provides financial support for each of the Eagles' 15 Division-I programs. For a detailed seating map and additional ticket information, visit FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets.
 
Priority 1: $266
Priority 2: $166
General Admission: $133
 
Faculty and staff members as well as alumni association members interested in season tickets receive a 20 percent discount on packages. Combination packages with the FGCU men's basketball team are also available through the Ticket Office.
 
Single-game tickets for all FGCU women's basketball games are not on sale.  Fans can purchase tickets online at FGCUAthletics.com, over the phone at 239-590-7145 or in person at the Alico Arena Box Office.
 
SMESKO
Head coach Karl Smesko earned his fifth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2014-15 campaign. Under his direction, the team compiled with a Division I program best record of 31-3, including a 14-0 mark in conference action and earned its first-ever national ranking. The team earned its third NCAA Tournament appearance as a seven seed and won its first ever DI NCAA Tournament gave against No. 10 Oklahoma State. With 31 wins in the 2014-15 season, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 11-straight 20+ win seasons.  He maintains a record of 348-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.9 with a mark of 130-13 (91 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 67-1 record in conference play in the last four seasons.  The six-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year earned his 400th career win this season in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma and holds a career record of 407-94.  Smesko ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher, joining 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.