AKRON, Ohio – Backed by another career-high performance from Haley Laughter, the FGCU women's basketball team defeated the host Akron Zips 82-64 Saturday afternoon at James A. Rhodes Arena as part of the 2015 Akron Classic. With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-2 on the season and finish tournament play at 1-1, while the Zips fall to 1-2 this season.
 
The Eagles again started slow but ultimately used their signature 3-point shooting to outlast Akron. FGCU trailed 17-14 after one quarter but outscored the Zips 26-15 in the second quarter to go into the break with a lead. The Eagles extended the advantage to a game-high 22 points late in the third quarter and never relinquished the game's momentum as they finished with an 18-point victory.
 
"We were disappointed with our performance yesterday," said head coach Karl Smesko. "There was a sense on the team that we could play better and we saw that on the court today. We're happy to beat a good team on the road. This is something that we needed and we feel like it was a positive step forward."
 
As a unit, the Green and Blue shot 39.1 percent from the floor with 14 made 3-pointers. The Eagles outrebounded Akron 39-37 and forced 13 turnovers for 16 points, while losing the ball just seven times in the 40-minute affair. FGCU sank 18-of-23 free throws including 16-of-20 in the second half.
 
The team made a nearly six-point increase in shooting percentage between Friday and Saturday with an improvement all around. The Eagles produced double the number of 3-pointers made and recorded half as many turnovers committed.
 
Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) and Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) led the Eagles' offensive effort with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Atwater used the dribble drive to penetrate the defense with four first-half layups and added eight made free throws on just 10 attempts in the second half. Laughter set a new career high for the second-straight game with four made shots from 3-point range and a 4-for-4 performance from the free-throw line. Senior Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) rounded out the team's double-figure contributors with 12 points off the bench.
 
Atwater led the Eagles with nine rebounds, including seven offensive boards and grabbed two steals, while senior DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) set a new career best with nine assists with just three turnovers. Dunson also contributed four points for the Green and Blue.
 
Akron took a quick 5-2 lead in the early goings as FGCU struggled to get shots to fall and extended the lead to 10-4 just four minutes in but the six-point lead would be the largest for Akron. Atwater battled back for the Green and Blue, scoring all of the team's first seven points before Laughter sank two free throws midway through the first quarter to bring the Eagles within one. Katie Meador (Salem, Ill./Salem Community High School) grabbed an offensive rebound on FGCU's next possession and used a put back to give FGCU its first lead of the game. The teams traded empty possessions before Haas extended the lead to 14-10 with a 3-pointers from the top of the arc, but the Zips responded with a 7-0 run to end the quarter with a three-point lead at 17-14.
 
The Eagles increased their intensity in the second quarter and saw a steal and fast-break layup from Atwater to open the period. The Atwater attack sparked a 12-3 run for the Eagles that included five points from Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School), a Laughter 3-pointer and another Haas layup. The offensive spurt helped FGCU reclaim the lead over a span of just three minutes as the Eagles went 5-for-6 from the field and took hold of the game's momentum.
 
Akron cut the deficit back to four points with four minutes to play in the half but an Atwater layup and back-to-back long-range shots from Laughter increased FGCU's advantage to 11 points at 40-29 late in the half.
 
After a late Akron 3-pointer, the Eagles went into the break with a 40-32 lead.
 
Jaime Gluesing (Solon, Ohio/Solon High School) opened the second half with a 3-pointer from the left side before Atwater and Laugher both went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to extend the lead to 13 points. The teams traded baskets through the middle of the third quarter but the Zips switched to a zone defense and opened up the perimeter for the Eagles who took advantage of the change. With three minutes to play, Haas hit a long-range shot from the top of the arc to start another push for the Green and Blue. Atwater and Gradinjan added to Haas' points for an 11-0 run over a two-minute burst as the team took a game-high 22-point lead late in the third quarter. Akron sank a three at the buzzer to cut the deficit back to 19 points but the Eagles held a 68-49 lead with 10 minutes to play.
 
Akron produced four-consecutive points in the first minute of the final stanza but Dunson responded with all four of her points over a 35-second span to halt the Zips' momentum. Akron continued to push late in the contest but FGCU responded to each bucket and ultimately added three free throws in the final minutes to seal the double-figure victory and improve to 2-2 on the season.
The Eagles will return to the Sunshine State for a Monday night contest against FIU in Miami. Tipoff at FIU Arena is slated for 7 p.m. The team returns to Alico Arena after Thanksgiving with a 7 p.m. matchup against Arkansas State Saturday, Nov. 28.
 
Game Notes: FGCU begins the year at .500…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 26 points…Atwater led the team with 19 points and now stands at 990 career points (including 186 points in her freshman season at VCU and 804 points as an Eagle)…Laughter scored a career-high points for the second-consecutive day after recording her first collegiate start…Following the tournament, Laugher and Atwater were named to the Akron Classic All-Tournament Team…Smesko went with a new starting lineup in Laughter, Gluesing, Atwater, Dunson and Gradinjan…the 82 total points was the highest scored by an FGCU team since a 91-46 win at Bethune Cookman on Dec. 14, 2014.
 
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 347-69 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 408-96 (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.