AKRON, Ohio – The FGCU women's basketball team fell to Ohio University 69-57 Friday afternoon in the first contest of the Akron Classic at the University of Akron's James A. Rhodes Arena. With their second-straight loss, the Eagles fall to 1-2 on the season, while the Bobcats improve to 1-1.
 
The Eagles took a slight lead in the first quarter but could not keep up with Ohio's momentum as the Bobcats outscored the Green and Blue 24-14 in the second quarter and took a 32-25 advantage into halftime with seven first-half 3-pointers. FGCU allowed Ohio to increase the lead to a game-high 16 points in the third quarter before responding but was unable to cut the deficit to any fewer than nine points late in the game and ultimately dropped a 12-point decision.
 
"We need to execute at a level where we can be competitive," said head coach Karl Smesko. "Ohio has such a good team but there's plenty of things we could have done better. We need to finish our layups and make sure our offensive movement doesn't get sloppy and we don't get careless with the ball. When you're playing a team as talented as Ohio, you can't make those kinds of mistakes."
 
The Eagles shot just 33.9 percent overall compared to Ohio's 37.5 percent and went 7-for-26 from beyond-the-arc for a 26.9 percent clip. Ohio outrebounded FGCU 37-35 and held a slight 15-14 advantage in turnovers. Both teams put up 56 shots in the afternoon contest but the Bobcats sank 10 shots from long-range and went 17-for-20 from the free-throw line for the advantage.
 
Individually, sophomore Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) and senior Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) led the team with 17 points each. Laughter went 6-for-10 from the floor with three 3-pointers for a new career high, while Atwater went 5-for-9 with five drives to the rim and sank 7-of-9 free throw attempts. Atwater also led the Eagles with six rebounds.
 
Sophomore Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) contributed double figures as well with 10 points on three long-range shots and a single shot from the charity stripe.
 
The Eagles started slow, with a 1-for-11 clip from the field in the opening minutes, but consecutive drives by senior DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) put the Eagles on the board. Atwater used a layup to bring the score to 8-6 before Laughter's first 3-pointer of the game gave FGCU its first lead at 9-8. The team shot just 12.5 percent from 3-point range in the first half but forced six Ohio turnovers and went into the first break with a slight advantage.
 
Ohio quickly cut the deficit and took the lead at 18-16 on a 3-pointer with six minutes left in the half. During the remaining time, the Bobcats and Eagles traded the lead three times before Ohio used back-to-back deep 3-pointers to claim the lead and take hold of the game's momentum.
 
With the final 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Bobcats took a 32-25 lead into halftime.
 
Ohio came out of the break firing again and sank a long-range shot from two steps beyond-the-arc right out of the gates, pushing FGCU behind by 10 points. The Eagles edged closer on several occasions but were unable to cut the gap or create a run as Ohio maintained the sharp shooting and stifled FGCU's shot opportunities.
 
The team's final push came late in the game as Laughter hit another corner 3-pointer to cut the deficit to nine points at 61-52 and force Ohio into a timeout with three minutes to play. The Eagles forced an Ohio turnover on the next Bobcat possession but the Green and Blue was unable to create a spark with the chance.
 
Ohio ultimately went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes to push the final score to 69-57 and hand FGCU its second-straight loss.
 
FGCU will take a quick turnaround and face tournament host Akron Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m. Following the Akron Classic, the Eagles will travel to Miami for a Monday, Nov. 23 contest at FIU. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at FIU Arena.
 
Game Notes: The Eagles dropped their second-straight loss for the first time since Dec. 2014 and start the year at 1-2 for the first time since the 2009-10 season…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 team's reserves scored 20 points with a career-high 17 from Laughter…Ohio Head Coach Bob Bolden was an assistant on Smesko's staff at three different stops including Walsh, IPFW and with FGCU during the 2009-10 season…Ohio is the first of three Mid-American Conference teams the Eagles will take on this year (Akron, Western Michigan)…a complete box score with play-by-play was not provided, check back at FGCUAthletics.com over the weekend for an update.
 
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 346-69 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.3 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 407-96 (80.9 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.