TRUJILLO ALTO, Puerto Rico – For the sixth-straight season, the FGCU women's basketball team takes part in a destination holiday tournament as the Eagles travel to Puerto Rico for a three-game event at the Ruben Zayas Montanez Coliseum. The Puerto Rico Classic takes place over three days from Dec. 19 to 21.
 
FGCU will play all three games at noon local time, 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
 
The Eagles continue the 2015-16 season with a record of 7-3 after earning a convincing victory over St. Thomas Tuesday. The team is 5-0 in road games so far with a 0-1 mark in neutral territory. Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 15.3 points per game through the season's first 10 games. Atwater is also pacing the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest and 14 total steals.
 
Sophomores Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day) and Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) have also contributed heavily on offense for the Green and Blue with 12.8 and 9.5 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 50 of the team's 3-point shots with Laughter topping the team with a 44.3 percent success rate from beyond-the-arc. Laughter made a career-best seven long-range shots in Tuesday's game to sit one shy of FGCU's single-game record. The sophomore scored a career-best 25 points in the win to lead all players.
 
Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 40 assists and has added 5.9 points in a team-high 33.4 minutes per game. Dunson has turned the ball over just 22 times and has grabbed 13 steals so far this season.
 
In her return from injury, senior Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) produced her 12th career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes at Providence. As she continues to recover from the foot injury, Knight's minutes will increase but her presence on the court has been evident immediately.
 
As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 65.7 points per game through the early season with a 40.6 percent clip from the field. The team has made 94 3-pointers, at a rate of 9.4 per game and has been narrowly outrebounded by opponents 36.6 to 37.6 boards per game.
 
QUICK HITS: TWEETABLES
• FGCU is averaging 9.4 3-pointers per game with a 32.2 percent clip from beyond-the-arc #RainingThrees
• Reigning #ASunWBB Player of the Year Whitney Knight is cleared to play after missing the first eight games of the season with injury
• With the Puerto Rico Classic, the 2015-16 season stands as the sixth-straight the team has played in a destination holiday tournament
• #FGCU will travel 17,290 miles for away contests this season, including the 1,150 miles between Fort Myers and San Juan
• The Eagles are 110-38 all time in first-time meetings since the program's start. The team will take on three new opponents in Puerto Rico
• Laughter hit seven 3-pointers in the win over St. Thomas, just one shy of the FGCU single-game record #RainingThrees
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
All games will be available to watch courtesy of Top Tech Streaming. Fans can access the live stream here. Live stats will also be available for all three games at SportTours.net and can be accessed at FGCUAthletics.com or at the links below. As always, fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.
 
Find complete info at: http://www.fgcuathletics.com/documents/2015/12/18/PUERTO_RICO_CLASSIC.pdf.
 
No. 9 MISSISSIPPI STATE (8-1)
Head Coach: Vic Schaefer | Texas A&M '84 | 4th Season at MSU: 70-39 (63.8%)
When: Saturday, Dec. 19 | 11 a.m. EST
Stats: via SportTours.net
Game Series: First Meeting
Notes: MSU
 
FGCU opens play at the Puerto Rico Classic against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. The matchup stands as the team's first of two SEC foes this season and marks the fourth-straight season in which the Eagles take on an SEC opponent. With two games against Power 5 teams this weekend, it makes nine-straight seasons the Green and Blue have taken on a big-time foe.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
No. 9 Mississippi State travels to San Juan with a top-10 national ranking and an 8-1 record on the year. The Bulldogs have won three straight, including a Wednesday night victory against Southern Miss., since a 53-47 loss at No. 5 Texas and began the year with a five-game win streak in five-straight home games. Despite the strong start, the team holds an official RPI of 144 based on its strength of schedule as the Bulldogs have faced seven teams with an RPI of 178 or higher.  
 
The Bulldogs have averaged 86.2 points per game with two games at over 100 points and have held opponents to just 44.5 points per game for the nation's top scoring margin. MSU has converted shots at a rate of 43.9 percent and has pulled down 46.2 rebounds per game to rank 12th nationally. The Bulldog defense has forced a national best 26.1 turnovers per game with 11.3 steals and 5.9 blocks an outing.
 
MSU's offense is led by Victoria Vivians' 19 points per game. The 6-1 sophomore doubles the point production of any other player and leads the team with 25 3-pointers made. Freshman Teaira McCowan ranks second on the team with 9.2 points per game and leads the squad with 6.8 rebounds and 15 total blocks. Head coach Vic Schaefer will use depth in Saturday's contest as 10 different players average at least four points per game and 11 players average double figure minutes.
 
Schaefer is in his fourth season at Mississippi State and has posted a 70-39 record with the Bulldogs. He was named the AP SEC Coach of the Year last season after guiding MSU to a 27-7 record and the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
ARIZONA (7-1)
Head Coach: Niya Butts | Tennessee '00 | 8th Season at Arizona: 96-129 (42.6%)
When: Sunday, Dec. 20 | 11 a.m. EST
Stats: via SportTours.net
Game Series: First Meeting
Notes: Arizona
 
Puerto Rico Classic play continues for FGCU with a matchup with the Pac-12's Arizona. It's the first time the Eagles will face a Pac-12 team since the 2013 matchup with Stanford at the Puerto Vallarta Tournament of Hope.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Arizona holds a record of 7-1 entering the Puerto Rico Classic and will face SMU Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats are riding a five-game win streak with wins over Kansas, North Texas, New Mexico State, Pacific and Louisiana Tech. The team's only loss was at San Diego on Nov. 21. After the first eight games of the season, Arizona holds an official RPI of 26, the highest of any FGCU opponent this season.
 
Arizona has scored 64.1 points while holding opponents to 53.6 points per game this season. The Wildcats hold a shooting percentage of 44.6 from the floor with a 44.9 percent clip from beyond-the-arc to rank second in the nation in 3-point percentage. Despite the high percentage, the team converts only 5.5 long-ranges shots a game and has scored 302 of the team's 513 points from two-point range. The Wildcats hold a slight advantage on the boards at 36.6 to 33.1 rebounds per game and have played with a high turnover rate in eight games so far. Arizona loses the ball an average of 17.6 times and forces 20.3 turnovers per contest with 9.5 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
 
Malen Washington paces the team with 12.6 points per game and 22 assists on the year. The 5-6 junior has come off the bench in all eight games this season and produced a 41.4 percent clip from the floor with 13 makes from 3-point range. Freshman Taryn Griffey produced 9.4 points in the team's first seven games but did not play in the team's last win over Louisiana Tech. Washington and Griffey have made 27 of the team's 44 shots from beyond-the-arc and have taken two thirds of the team's attempts. Junior Dejza James adds 7.4 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per contest to stand as Arizona's fifth scorer with over seven points a game.
 
Niya Butts is in her eighth season with the Wildcats and holds a record of 96-129 as the team's head coach. Butts returns three starters from last year's team that went 10-20 overall with an 11th place finish in the Pac-12.
 
WESTERN MICHIGAN (6-2)
Head Coach: Shane Clipfell | Eastern Michigan '06 | 4th Season at WMU: 49-53 (48.0%)
When: Monday, Dec. 21 | 11 a.m. EST
Stats: via SportTours.net
Game Series: First Meeting
Notes: Western Michigan
 
Western Michigan will be the third Mid-American Conference squad the Eagles will face this season after taking on Ohio and Akron earlier this year. FGCU and the Broncos will face off Monday to round out play at the Puerto Rico Classic.
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan enters the weekend with a 6-2 record on the year. The Broncos are riding a four-game win streak after falling at No. 12 Northwestern. The streak includes wins at Bradley, IPFW and Loyola and a 70-66 victory over Detroit Monday and has helped the Broncos to an official RPI of 70. WMU will face Gardner Webb and Mississippi State Saturday and Sunday before facing FGCU.
 
The Broncos average 62.9 points per game to narrowly outscore their opponents' 60.9 points per contest. The team maintains a 40.0 percent shooting mark with a 29.9 percent clip from 3-point range and makes 4.4 long-range shots a game. WMU has outrebounded foes 41.6 to 39.2 through eight games this season and has held a 16.4 to 14.6 turnover advantage. The Broncos average 14 assists, 8.1 steals and 5.9 blocks per contest.
 
Individually, the Broncos have just six players that have played in all eight games this season. Miracle Woods leads the team with 16.3 points per game in the four games she has played so far. The 6-0 senior tops the team with a 53.8 percent clip from the floor and has played 25.5 minutes per contest off the bench. Sophomore Teagan Reeves adds 10.1 points and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds a contest. The 6-3 forward also leads the team with 23 blocks and 11 steals. Her block mark ranks among the nation's top-15 at 2.9 per game. The Broncos also boast three players with eight points per game including shooter Meredith Shipman. Shipman maintains a 47.4 percent mark from 3-point range and has made 18 of the team's 35 shots from beyond-the-arc this season. Shipman also aids the offense with 27 assists on the season.
 
Head coach Shane Clipfell returns for his fourth season with the Broncos after leading the squad to a 20-13 record last year and a WNIT appearance. He holds a record of 49-53 at the helm of the WMU program.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles break for the Christmas holiday after tournament play before returning to Alico Arena to conclude nonconference play. The Green and Blue will host Auburn, Quinnipiac and Hartford at Alico Arena between Dec. 28 and Jan. 2.
 
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 352-70 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 413-97 (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.