FGCU (5-3) at Providence (3-5)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 350-70 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 411-97 (80.8%)
PC Head Coach: Susan Robinson Fruchtl | Penn State '92 | 4th Season at Providence: 23-75 (23.4%) | 9th Season as Head Coach: 97-158 (37.8%)
When: Saturday, Dec. 12 | 2:30 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall | Providence, R.I.
Watch: FoxSports2 nationally. Available on DirecTV (ch. 618), DISH (ch. 397) and CenturyLink (ch. 621) in Southwest Florida. Check here for local listings.
Watch Online: FoxSportsGo
Stats: via GameTracker
Game Series: FGCU leads 1-0 | FGCU won last meeting 68-58 (12/5/14 at Alico Arena)
Notes: FGCU | Providence


PROVIDENCE, R.I. - In the fifth of five-straight games against opponents from the 2014-15 season, the FGCU women's basketball team travels north to take on the Providence College Friars Saturday, Dec. 12. Tipoff at Alumni Hall is slated for 2:30 p.m.

The matchup between the Eagles and Friars is set for the national stage on Fox Sports 2 with Chris Fama and LaChina Robinson on the call. FS2 is available nation-wide on DirecTV and DISH and can be found in other select areas on select cable providers. Fans can find channel availability and listings here. For those without FS2 television access, the game will be streamed online via FoxSportsGo and can be found here.

The Eagles continue the 2015-16 slate with a record of 5-3 after earning strong wins over George Washington and Harvard last weekend. The team is 4-0 in road games so far including 'W's at North Carolina A&T, Akron, FIU and GW. Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 17.4 points per game through the season's eight games. Atwater is also pacing the team with 6.4 rebounds per contest and 12 total steals. Atwater scored 27 points in the win over Harvard and was named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week after guiding the Eagles to two wins last weekend.

Sophomores Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day) and Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) have also contributed double figures for the Green and Blue with 11.9 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 41 of the team's 3-point shots with Gradinjan topping the team with a 42.3 percent success rate from beyond-the-arc.

Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 37 assists and has added 7.1 points in a team-high 34.8 minutes per game. Dunson has turned the ball over just 18 times and has grabbed 10 steals so far this season.

As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 65.1 points per game through the early season with a 40.5 percent clip from the field. The team has made 75 3-pointers, at a rate of 9.4 per game and has been narrowly outrebounded by opponents 34.2 to 39.6 boards per game, despite being undersized without reigning A-Sun Player of the Year Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) - who has sat out in the early season with a foot injury.

QUICK HITS: TWEETABLES
-FGCU will travel 17,290 miles for games this season, including the 1,446 miles between Fort Myers and Providence #EaglesFly
-The Eagles hold a 4-0 record on the road this season with an average of 71.8 ppg and a shooting mark of 43.5 percent #RoadWarriors
-Atwater set FGCU's DI single-game record with 33 points in last year's 'W' against the Friars. The team earned a 68-58 win at home.
-FGCU is averaging 9.4 3-pointers per game with a 32.8 percent clip from beyond-the-arc #RainingThrees
-With a win over Harvard last weekend, the Eagles earned their 350th program victory, all under @FGCUCoachSmesko
-Reigning #ASunWBB Player of the Year Whitney Knight is cleared to play after missing the first eight games of the season with a foot injury
-Georgia transfer Sydnei McCaskill becomes eligible for competition Saturday after sitting out for two semesters at FGCU

HOW TO FOLLOW
As described above, Saturday's game can be viewed live via Fox Sports 2. Live stats will be available through GameTracker and can be accessed here. As always, fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.

SHE'S BACK
Knight returns to play after missing the first eight games with a foot injury. Although cleared for competition, her minutes are likely to be limited as she continues recovery and gets back to game speed.

Knight stands as the team's top returner from last season as she averaged 14.8 points per game with 6.4 rebounds per contest. As a junior, she also led the team with 66 steals, 87 blocks and 91 3-pointers. She finished the season as the A-Sun Player of the Year and was the nation's only player to lead a league in both blocks and 3-pointers.

During her senior campaign, Knight will continue to climb the FGCU and A-Sun record books. She currently 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)	309
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

THE MATCHUP: PROVIDENCE
In the fifth of five-straight games against opponents from the 2014-15 campaign, the Eagles travel north to face the Friars. The string of games included matchups with FIU, Arkansas State, George Washington and Harvard. The Eagles went 5-0 against the competition last year and enter Saturday's contest with three wins in the first four games of the streak.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS
Providence enters Saturday's nonconference matchup with a record of 3-5 after earning a 10-point victory over Bryant Wednesday evening. The Friars dropped three-straight games to open the year before defeating Hartford and Monmouth at the end of November. The squad is 3-2 in games played at Alumni Hall with losses to Boston College and Richmond.

As a team, the Friars are averaging 58.8 points per game with a 40 percent success rate from the floor, while allowing foes to 62.6 points with a 40.1 shooting percentage. PC makes just 4.6 3-pointers per game but converts 37 percent of its long-range attempts and has sank 37 this season. The team has been outrebounded and outscored by opponents just narrowly as the team pulls down 33.5 boards per game compared to its opponents' 37.4. The Friars turn the ball over nearly 20 times per game with 10 assists and 6.8 steals per contest.

The Friars boast a trio of double-figure scorers, all between 12 and 13 points per game after each scoring upwards of 20 points in the 88-78 win over Bryant. Sarah Beal leads the team with 12.8 points per game and 25 assists on the year. She tops the team with 19 steals so far this season after producing a program-record 10 steals against Bryant and ranks second on the team with 4.6 rebounds an outing. Junior Aliyah Miller adds 12.6 points and leads the squad with 4.9 rebounds per game. The 6-1 forward also tops the team with a 48.8 percent clip from the floor. The double-figure producers are rounded out by Jovana Nogic's 12.0 points per contest. Nogic has made 20 of the team's 37 3-point attempts with a success rate of 48.8 and has added 20 assists through eight games. Nogic is one of eight players on the team to stand at 6-feet or taller.

Head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl is in her fourth season with the Friars. She holds a record of 23-75 so far in Providence and a 97-158 mark through nine season at a helm of a program. Last season, Robinson Fruchtl led the Friars to a 6-24 record. The year, PC was selected 10th in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll and currently holds an official RPI of 152.

ALL-TIME MEETINGS
FGCU and Providence have met just once before leading up to Saturday's tilt. FGCU earned a 10-point win last season as the Green and Blue hosted PC on Dec. 11 at Alico Arena.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE FRIARS
The Eagles outlasted Providence College 68-58 last season at Alico Arena to move to 7-2 on the season.

Backed by a stellar start from Atwater and a shooting percentage above 60 percent, the Eagles took hold of the game with a double-figure lead in the first half. The Friars cut the lead to just one point midway through the second half but ended the game with just two field goals in their final 10 attempts. The Eagles sealed the win with eight points in the final four minutes to move to 5-0 at home on the year.

As a unit, the Eagles outshot the Friars with a total mark of 51.1 percent, while holding PC to a 41 percent success rate. Despite not attempting a three for the first 13 minutes of action, the Green and Blue finished with seven made long shots on 19 attempts. The teams were even with 33 rebounds and 18 turnovers each.

Atwater set a new FGCU DI single-game record against the Friars with 33 points in the win.

FOR COMPLETE INFO
For all the details on Saturday's matchup check out: http://www.fgcuathletics.com/documents/2015/12/10/AT_PC_DEC_12.pdf.

UP NEXT
The Eagles will return to Alico Arena for a Tuesday tilt against cross-state foe St. Thomas University. FGCU will take on the NAIA team Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. before heading to San Juan for the Puerto Rico Classic where the team will face Mississippi State, Arizona and Western Michigan between Dec. 19 and 21.

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 350-70 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.4 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 411-97 (80.8 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.