FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's basketball team dropped a 62-55 result to cross-state foe FAU Tuesday night at Alico Arena. With the team's first home loss in nearly two years, the Eagles begin the season at 1-1, while the Owls improve to 2-0.
 
The teams traded the lead on 14 occasions through the 40-minute battle with neither team ever leading by more than 10 points. FGCU took a 32-25 lead into the break but was stifled in the third quarter and shot just 17.6 percent from the field as FAU outscored the Eagles 18-8. The teams matched scores five times in the fourth quarter but the Owls shot 46.7 percent to the Eagles' 28.6 percent in the final 10 minutes and ultimately pulled away with a seven-point victory.
 
"I think the obvious thing to take away from tonight is that FAU really outplayed us in the second half," said head coach Karl Smesko. "They dominated the boards, they took advantage of every defensive breakdown we had and we couldn't get things going offensively at all. We have to start to improve every day because the schedule is just going to get harder."
 
The Eagles shot 35.9 percent overall compared to FAU's 40 percent and went 6-for-23 from beyond-the-arc for a 26.1 percent clip. FAU outrebounded FGCU 45-34 but the Eagles held a 13 to 16 advantage in turnovers.
 
Individually, Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) led all players with 17 points with seven made shots from the field and added a team-best five assists on the night. Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) produced her second-straight 14-point performance and went 4-for-7 from 3-point range, while DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
 
FAU won the tip and scored the first basket of the game before Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) evened the contest in its third minute with her signature scoop shot. The teams traded the lead four times throughout the first quarter before FAU took a three-point lead at 13-10 in the final two minutes. Haas once again tied the game with a corner 3-pointer in the waning minutes and sent the game into the second quarter tied at 13-13.
 
The Eagles reclaimed the lead with back-to-back layups from Atwater to start the second quarter and took control of play as Atwater's layup sparked an 11-point run for the Eagles. With help from three Jaime Gluesing (Solon, Ohio/Solon High School) assists, FGCU used baskets from Haas, Gradinjan and Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wisc./Muskego High School) to take a 10-point lead midway through the second quarter with a 25-15 advantage. The teams traded threes late in the half but the Eagles maintained the lead and held a seven-point advantage at the buzzer.
 
At halftime, FGCU led the Owls 32-25.
 
The third quarter proved to be a turning point for the Owls as FAU held FGCU scoreless for seven minutes and constructed its own 11-point run to take back the lead with four minutes to go. The teams again traded points to keep the score close but the visitors sank a corner three in the last second to hold a 43-40 lead after three quarters.
 
Gradinjan gave the Green and Blue a spark of momentum to open the final stanza with a 3-pointer right off the bat. Haas added a layup right away to give FGCU a 45-43 lead but the Owls were quick to respond. The teams traded the lead twice more and tied at 54-54 with 2:23 left on the clock after an Atwater drive to the rim. FAU pulled the momentum in its favor with one minute to go on two made shots on two attempts, while FGCU missed its three chances over the same span. The Owls held a four-point advantage with 33 seconds to play and extended the lead in the remaining time with three successful free throws.
 
At the end, the Eagles suffered at the hands of a 62-55 deficit for their first home loss since December 2013.
 
The Green and Blue will play the next three games away from Alico Arena as the team travels to Akron, Ohio for the Akron Classic. FGCU will take on Ohio University Friday, Nov. 20 and will face host Akron Saturday, Nov. 21 before battling FIU in Miami Monday, Nov. 23.
 
FGCU returns to Fort Myers for a 7 p.m. contest against Arkansas State on Saturday, Nov. 28.
 
Game Notes: The Eagles snapped a 28-game win streak in home games that dated back to Dec. 29, 2013…the streak stood third nationally behind only UConn and South Carolina…even with the loss, the Eagles hold a 116-9 overall record at Alico since moving to Division I, the win percentage of 82.9 % stands second in the nation only to UConn's Gampel Pavillion…the Eagles were without 2015 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Whitney Knight and Vanderbilt transfer Kady Schrann – who are both out with foot injuries…the Eagles begin the year at 1-1 for the first time since the 2011-12 season when they finished the year at 28-3 with their first DI NCAA Appearance…the team's starters scored all but six of the team's points Tuesday night.
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 346-68 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.59 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 407-95 (81 W%).  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.