FGCU (2-2) at FIU (1-1)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 347-69 (83.6%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 408-96 (80.9%)
FIU Head Coach: Marvin Chinn | Hampton '92 | First Season at FIU: 1-1 (50%) | First Season as Head Coach
When: Monday, Nov. 22 | 7 p.m.
Where: FIU Arena | Miami, Fla.
Watch: via FIUSports.com
Stats: via StatBroadcast
Game Series: FGCU leads 6-0 | FGCU won last meeting 97-49
Notes: FGCU  |  FIU 
 
MIAMI – After producing a 1-1 record at the 2015 Akron Classic, the FGCU women's basketball team returns to the Sunshine State to face the Panthers of FIU Monday, Nov. 23. Tipoff at FIU Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The Eagles continue the 2015-16 slate with a record of 2-2 after falling to Ohio and defeating Akron this weekend in Ohio. Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) led the team with an average of 18 points per game in the two-game swing, while sophomore Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day) produced a career-high in both games and averaged 17.5 points per contest. The duo was named to the All-Tournament Team following the team-leading performances.
 
Overall, Atwater paces the team with 15.3 points per game through four games this season, while Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) has added 11.8 points per contest so far. Atwater leads all players with 5.8 rebounds per game and has produced a team-best mark with six steals and 17 assists. Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has also dished out 17 assists and has added 5.5 points in a team-high 34.5 minutes per game.
 
As a unit, the Green and Blue have averaged 63.5 points per game through four contests so far with a 38.5 percent clip from the field. The team has made 36 3-pointers, including 14 against Akron Saturday but has been narrowly outrebounded 36.8 to 35.2 boards per game.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Monday's game can be viewed live via FIUSports.com or by clicking here. Live stats will be available through StatBroadcast and can be accessed here. 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 137 miles between FGCU and Miami.
• In 141 games against Sunshine State foes, the Eagles hold a record of 122-19. FIU is the second of six Florida teams on the schedule this year.
• FGCU holds a perfect 6-0 record over the Panthers in the team's six-previous meetings. Last season, FGCU earned a 97-49 win at Alico Arena.
• The team dropped a season-high 14 3-pointers in the win over Akron and has hit 36 in four games this year #RainingThrees
• Senior Kaneisha Atwater stands just 10 shy of 1,000 career points – including her
 
SCOUTING THE PANTERS
FIU enters Monday night's game with a 1-1 record after earning an 81-65 win over Florida A&M to open the season and falling at UCF by an 89-72 score. The team went 3-26 last season under long-time coach Cindy Russo, finished the season with an official RPI of 334 and missed the Conference USA Tournament after compiling a conference record of 0-18.
 
Under new head coach Marlin Chinn, the Panthers have averaged 76.5 points per game with a shooting percentage of .429. FIU now averages 8.5 3-pointers per game with a clip of .354 from 3-point range. The team has averaged 21 turnovers per game but has grabbed seven steals and dished out 19.5 assists through two games so far.
 
Individually, junior Janka Hegedus leads the team with 20 points per game. Hegedus scored 25 points in the season opener and added 15 against UCF, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds per game after playing just 10 games last season. Seniors Taylor Shade and Destini Feahin add double figures for the Panthers with 14.5 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Shade leads the team with five steals so far with Feagan adding a team-high five 3-pointers. The duo contributed 14 points in the loss to FGCU last season and played nearly every minute of action. Tiana Alvarado stands as the team's strongest shooter with a .531 percentage and has gone 5-for-7 from deep this season. While the team's biggest contributors are upperclassmen, freshman Kristian Hudson leads the squad with 10 assists off the bench and has added 6.5 points per game.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
FGCU and FIU have met one time in each of the last six seasons.  The team holds a perfect 6-0 record against the Panthers and has outscored the opponent from Florida's west coast 81.2 to 59.0 points per game in those six showings. 
 
The Eagles outscored FIU by 48 points with a Division I program record shooting percentage of 56.1, including a 60 percent clip in the second half at Alico on Nov. 18, 2014. FGCU shot 40.6 percent from beyond-the-arc and limited themselves to just four turnovers in the 97-49 win.
 
Individually, the Green and Blue saw five double-figure scorers, led by Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat)' 15 points.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Backed by another career-high performance from Laughter, the team defeated the Akron Zips 82-64 Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Arena as part of the 2015 Akron Classic.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Atwater and Laughter 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.
 
SUNSHINE-STATE SERIES
The Eagles hold an impressive record of 122-19 against in-state opponents through 13 seasons, including the NCAA Tournament loss at Florida State last year. The team         went 11-1 against Sunshine State foes last season and will face Florida based teams nine times this season.
 
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)	30
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/2015/11/22/AT_FIU_NOV_23.pdf.
 
UP NEXT
After the Thanksgiving holiday, the Eagles return to Alico Arena for a Saturday, Nov. 28 game against Arkansas State. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. against the Sun Belt squad.
 
The team continues the back end of a handful of home-and-home series later this year, beginning with a road contest at George Washington Thursday, Dec. 3 and continuing with a home game against Harvard the following weekend. The Eagles and Crimson will faceoff Saturday, Dec. 6 at Alico Arena in a 7 p.m. contest.
 
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.