MIAMI – With a 48.4 percent clip from the field, the FGCU women's basketball team used a high offensive efficiency to defeat FIU 81-53 Monday night at FIU Arena. With their second road win in three days, the Eagles move to 3-2 on the season, while the Panthers drop to 1-2.
 
FGCU struggled in the opening minutes and fell behind 6-0 quickly but cut the Panther advantage in the sixth minute with a Katie Meador (Salem, Ill./Salem Community School) layup. Meador's putback sparked a 20-point run that spanned the first and second quarter and enabled the Green and Blue to take control of the game, while holding FIU scoreless for over seven minutes. FGCU shot 50 percent from 3-point range in the second half to maintain the lead and ultimately took a 28-point victory from the cross-state foe.
 
"We're shooting the ball a little bit better which is really encouraging," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We're getting production from more players. Haley Laughter has really stepped up the last few games to us another scoring punch. I'm proud of the way we took care of the ball and the way we competed on the boards tonight. We're getting better. The next couple of games are against some of the best teams on our schedule but I do see improvement."
 
Once again, Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) and Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) led the Eagles' offensive production with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Atwater shot 50 percent from the floor with two 3-pointers and dished out six assists with six rebounds. Laughter produced double-figures for the third-straight game with a 7-for-12 shooting performance, including three long-range shots. Seniors Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) and DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) also contributed double-digits with 13 and 11 points. Dunson paced the team with eight assists and just one turnover and played a team-high 31 minutes.
 
In addition to the well-rounded performance, Atwater scored her 1,000th career point Monday night. The senior scored 186 points during her freshman year at VCU and has added 261, 482 and now 79 points in each of the last three seasons with the Eagles. Her mark of 822 points at FGCU ranks 11th all-time in the FGCU record books, just 17 points behind current assistant Chelsea Lyles.
 
As a unit, the Eagles shot 48.4 percent from the field with a 44.7 percent mark from 3-point range en-route to the big victory. The Green and Blue held FIU to 38.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Panthers 40-31 for the all-around effort. FGCU also turned the ball over just nine times for the team's second-straight game with fewer than 10 miscues.
 
FIU jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead as the Eagles opened with misses in their first five attempts. However, a drive from Atwater cut the dry spell four minutes in before Laughter sank her first 3-pointer to stop the Panther momentum. Dunson followed with a layup and Meador added a second-chance layup three minutes later to give FGCU its first lead of the game at 9-8.
 
FIU added one layup to reclaim the lead but Atwater sank a long-range shot from the top of the arc to push the Eagles ahead 12-10 and start the team's strongest run of the season thus far. The Green and Blue held FIU scoreless through the end of the quarter and added points from Atwater, Haas and Meador to end the quarter on an 11-0 run.
 
FGCU carried the run into the second quarter and opened play with a layup from Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School). Laughter and Atwater followed with another five points before Meador increased the FGCU lead to 19 points at 29-10 with six minutes to play in the first half.
 
The Panthers broke the seven-minute scoring drought with a layup midway through the second quarter but a Dunson 3-pointer pushed the Eagle lead to 20 points and helped the Green and Blue maintain control and go into halftime with a 39-18 lead.
 
FIU increased its offensive production in the third quarter and scored 20 points but the Eagles did not relinquish the advantage and scored 22 of their own over the 10-minute span to hold a 61-38 advantage with 10 minutes to play.
 
The Eagles extended the lead to a game-high 30 points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter before trading buckets with the Panthers over the last five minutes. In the final minutes of the game, the Eagles saw baskets from Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wisc./Muskego High School) and Taylor Goodall (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North High School) as well as two assists from Sierra Harley (Columbus, Ohio/Africentric High School) who helped the Green and Blue maintain the strong lead and end the road trip with the 81-53 victory.
 
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Eagles will continue the string of return games from the 2014-15 season. The next four opponents on the schedule were also featured on last year's slate. The team returns to Alico Arena with a 7 p.m. matchup against Arkansas State Saturday, Nov. 28. The Eagles will then travel to Washington, D.C. for a Thursday, Dec. 3 tilt at No. 24 George Washington and will host Harvard on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. The string ends on Dec. 12 with a trip to Providence to take on the Friars in a 2:30 p.m. tipoff. The Eagles produced a record of 5-0 against the string of foes last year, including a win over FIU at Alico Arena.
 
Game Notes: 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…redshirt-freshman Tayler Goodall sank her first 3-pointer of her career with a shot from the right side in the fourth quarter…the Eagles sank double-digit 3-pointers for the second-straight game…Atwater entered the game in need of 10 points to hit the 1,000 career mark.
 
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 348-69 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 409-96 (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.