OHIO:
Record: 0-1
Head Coach: Bob Bolden | Walsh '97 | 3^rd Season at Ohio - 36-27 (57.1%) | 107-107 in six seasons (50%)
When: Friday, Nov. 20 | 1 p.m.
Where: James A. Rhodes Arena | Akron, Ohio
Video: via GoZips.com
Stats: via GoZips.com
Game Series: First Meeting
Notes: FGCU  |  Ohio  
 
AKRON:
Record: 0-1
Head Coach: Jodi Kest | Slippery Rock '84 | 10^th Season at Akron - 142-139 (49.1%) | 368-292 in 23 seasons (55.7%)
When: Saturday, Nov. 21 | 3:30 p.m.
Where: James A. Rhodes Arena | Akron, Ohio
Audio: via GoZips.com
Stats: via GoZips.com
Game Series: First Meeting
Notes: FGCU  |  Akron 
 
AKRON, Ohio – For the first time in program history, the FGCU women's basketball team will play a pair of games in the Buckeye State this weekend as part of the 2015 Akron Classic. The Eagles will face Ohio University Friday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. at Akron's Rhodes Arena and will take on the host Zips Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m.
 
Head coach Karl Smesko and three players on the 2015-16 squad hail from Ohio, making the weekend series a homecoming of sorts but despite Smesko's history, the Eagles have never played a game in the state of Ohio.
 
The Eagles enter the weekend with a record of 1-1 after defeating North Carolina A&T on the road and falling to FAU at Alico Arena Tuesday night. The team has been led by redshirt sophomore Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) and senior Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU). The duo has averaged 14.0 and 12.5 points per game, respectively, through two games, with Atwater leading the team with 12 assists. Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has paced the team with five rebounds an outing and has a team-best four steals on the year.
 
As a unit, the Green and Blue have averaged 57.5 points per game through two contests so far with a 40.5 percent clip from the field. The team sank 15 3-pointers but was outrebounded by an average of 36.5 to 33.5.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday's game can be viewed live, without audio, via GoZips.com or by clicking here. Fans can also listen to Ohio's radio broadcast here. Only audio will be available for Saturday's contest against Akron. It can be found here. Live stats for both contests will be available at GoZips.com and can be accessed through the women's basketball schedule at FGCUAthletics.com or by using the links above.
 
As always, fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.
 
QUICK HITS
• The Eagles will travel 17,290 miles for contests this season, including the 1,189 between FGCU and Akron.
• This weekend stands as the program's first-ever trip to the Buckeye State, despite being Coach Smesko's home.
• Five Eagles call Ohio home - Haas, Gluesing and Harley - as well as Head Coach Karl Smesko and Operations Coordinator Jenna Cobb.
• Ohio's Bob Bolden & Kate Bruce both have connections to FGCU as Bolden was a former Smesko assistant & Bruce is a '07 alum.
• With six long-range makes against FAU, Tuesday marked the 300th-straight game the Eagles hit at least one 3-pointer #RainingThrees
 
THE OHIO BOBCATS
Friday's tilt should be an exciting one as both FGCU and Ohio run high-motion offenses with an emphasis on 3-point shooting. Ohio Head Coach Bob Bolden was an assistant on Smesko's staff for the 2009-10 season and uses the knowledge of FGCU alum Kate Bruce to run a similar system as the Green and Blue.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
Not only will Friday stand as the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Bobcats, the first game of the Akron Classic also sets two other firsts for the FGCU women's basketball program. The team plays its first game in the state of Ohio (the home of Coach Smesko) and faces a Mid-American Conference team for the first time. Ohio will be the first of three MAC teams the Green and Blue takes on this season.
 
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Ohio enters the weekend at Akron with a 0-1 record after falling to Illinois in the season opener. The team was voted Mid-American Conference preseason favorites this year following a 27-5 2014-15 record and a MAC Conference Championship. Last year's squad averaged 69.8 points per game with 9.3 3-pointers and a field-goal percentage of 41.2 percent. Under Smesko's former assistant and current OU head coach Bob Bolden, the Bobcats run a similar offense to the Eagles and will create a fast-paced game environment in Friday afternoon's tilt.
 
In his third season at Ohio, Bolden has constructed an impressive turnaround with the Bobcats. The team went 6-23 prior to his arrival and 9-21 in his first season. Bolden guided Ohio to an 18-win increase in his second season and holds a record of 36-27 overall.
 
The Bobcats return all but two members of last year's team, including their top two scorers in Kiyanna Black and Quiera Lampkins. The duo averaged 16.0 and 12.5 points per game, respectively, last season and helped the team across the board. Black is the team's top returner in steals and total points, while Lampkins dished out a team-best 83 assists last year and pulled down a program-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
 
Black scored 18 points in the loss to Illinois on 7-for-21 shooting and made four of the team's eight 3-pointers, while Lampkins added nine points. Senior Lexie Baldwin added 11 points for Ohio in the loss. As a unit, the Bobcats shot 31.1 percent from the field in the loss and were outrebounded 44-33.
 
Ohio's 2014-15 slate included a 16-2 MAC record and an NCAA Tournament appearance where the Bobcats fell at Arizona State 74-55. The team finished the season with an official RPI of 50 among the nation's 349 teams.
 
THE AKRON ZIPS
FGCU will take a quick turnaround to face Akron at 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Akron and the Eagles both hold a loss to FAU this season with the Zips taking a 91-77 loss in Florida to open the year.
 
Akron faces Winthrop at 10:30 a.m. Friday morning as part of the 2015 Akron Classic. The tournament features Ohio, Akron, Winthrop and the Eagles with two games slated for each day.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Zips and will be just the second game played in Ohio (after Friday) in program history. This weekend also stands as the first meetings with a team from the Mid-American Conference. Saturday will be the second of three games against MAC teams as the Eagles will face Western Michigan in Puerto Rico in December.
 
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Head Coach Jodi Kest and the Akron Zips host the 2015 Akron Classic at James A. Rhodes Arena featuring FGCU, Ohio, Akron and Winthrop. Kest is in her 10th season with Akron and holds a record of 142-139 with a 368-292 record over 23 seasons.
 
The Zips enter the 2015-16 campaign after a producing a 22-9 2014-15 record that included a 12-6 MAC record and a WNIT appearance. Akron earned wins over Northern Kentucky, Belmont, UCF and Valparaiso in nonconference action and ultimately fell to Eastern Michigan in the MAC Conference Tournament before dropping an 86-68 decision to Kansas State in the WNIT. Overall, the Zips averaged 74.4 points per game last year with 42 rebounds and a 43.5 field goal percentage.
 
Akron lost its top scorer to graduation but returns two double-figure producers in Anita Brown and Hannah Plybon. Brown averaged 18.8 points per game last year with 6.7 rebounds, 40 steals and a 47.3 field-goal percentage, while Plybon sank 97 3-pointers and averaged 13.2 points per contest. The duo scored 27 and 21 points, respectively, in the loss to FAU, while Greta Burry and Ali Ball recorded double doubles for the Zips. The Zips shot 42.3 percent from the field and outrebounded the Owls 53-32 but turned the ball over 18 times and sent the Owls to the free-throw line 34 times. 
 
Akron finished last season with an official RPI of 90 and was selected to finish second to Ohio in the MAC East Preseason Poll.
 
LAST TIME OUT
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.
 
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.
 
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, Atwater led all players with 17 points with seven made shots from the field and added a team-best five assists on the night. Gradinjan produced her second-straight 14-point performance and went 4-for-7 from 3-point range, while Dunson pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
 
PREPPED FOR THE SIDELINE
The 'Coach Smesko Coaching Tree' grows bigger each year with a strong group of former players and/or assistants now among the coaching ranks. On the FGCU sideline alone you'll see former players Chelsea Dermyer '07, Chelsea Lyles '10, Joyce Iamstrong '13 and Jenna Cobb '15, while Kate (Schrader) Bruce '07 is on staff at Ohio, Jenn Conely '07 is an assistant at Indianapolis and Shannon Murphy '07 is an assistant at Embry Riddle. Brittany Brown '10 stands as the first head coach as she leads the Community College of Rhode Island team.
 
Additionally, former assistants Bob Bolden and LeAnn Freeland now hold head coaching positions at Ohio University and Nova Southeastern, respectively.
 
RECORD CHASER
Knight holds all FGCU program records in blocks with nine in a single game, 93 in a single season and 231 and counting in her career. The senior also became FGCU's fourth player ever to record 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds last year and now ranks fifth all-time with 1,166 career points and fifth with 516 rebounds. The block mark also ranks fifth among the A-Sun career record books.
 

FGCU POINTS RECORD			FGCU REBOUND RECORD			A-SUN BLOCK RECORD
PLAYER	PTS		PLAYER	REB		PLAYER	BLOCKS
1.Sarah Hansen	1,895		1.Sarah Hansen	882		1.Jessica Bobbitt (Belmont 05-09)	209
2.Adrianne McNally	1,415		2.Adrianne McNally	658		2.Katie Beth Pate (Lipscomb 03-07)	254
3.Kelsey Jacobson	1,251		3.Robyn Swain	640		3.Albena Branzova (FIU 91-95)	250
4.Shannon Murphy	1,185		4.Courtney Chihil	601		4. Denise Hogue (CoC 91-93)	248
5.Whitney Knight	1,166		5. Whitney Knight	516		5. Whitney Knight	231

 
FOR MORE INFO
For all the details on Tuesday's matchup check out: http://www.fgcuathletics.com/documents/2015/11/19/AT_AKRON_CLASSIC_NOV_20_21.pdf.
 
UP NEXT
After the two-game swing in Ohio, the Eagles will use a one-day break to prepare for a Monday, Nov. 23 contest at FIU. The Green and Blue will take on the Panthers at 7 p.m. in Miami.
 
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.