FGCU (3-3) at George Washington (5-2)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 348-70 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 409-97 (80.8%)
George Washington Head Coach: Jonathan Tsipis | North Carolina '96 | Fourth Season at GW: 71-33 (68.3%)
When: Thursday, Dec. 3 | 7 p.m.
Where: Charles E. Smith Center | Washington, D.C.
Watch: RaiseHigh.TV via the A-10 Network
Stats: via GameTracker
Game Series: FGCU leads 2-0 | FGCU won last meeting 88-75 (11/14/15 at Alico Arena)
Notes: FGCU  |  George Washington
 
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In one of the season's toughest tests, the FGCU women's basketball team will travel north to face George Washington Thursday, Dec. 3. Tipoff at the Charles E. Smith Center is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The Eagles continue the 2015-16 slate with a record of 3-3 after falling to Arkansas State at Alico Arena last Saturday. The team is 3-0 in road games with a 0-2 mark at Alico and is 0-1 on a neutral court so far this year. Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 15.0 points per game through the season's six games, while sophomore Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day) produced a career-high in her first collegiate start and has averaged 11.5 points per contest so far this season. Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) has also contributed heavily on offense for the Green and Blue with 9.5 points per contest so far and a team-best 15 3-pointers.
 
Katie Meador (Salem, Ill./Salem Community School) leads all players with 5.8 rebounds per game, while Atwater and has produced a team-best mark with eight steals. Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 29 assists and has added 6.2 points in a team-high 33.8 minutes per game.
 
As a unit, the Green and Blue have averaged 63.8 points per game through the early season with a 40.1 percent clip from the field. The team has made 52 3-pointers, at a rate of 8.7 per game and has narrowly outrebounded opponents 35.8 to 35.7 boards per game.
 
QUICK HITS
• FGCU is sinking an average of 8.7 3-pointers per game. The long-range makes account for 47% of the team's field-goals #RainingThrees
• The Eagles will travel 17,290 miles for road contests this season, including the 1,036 miles from Fort Myers to D.C.
• Thursday's matchup puts two of last year's top mid-major programs against each other for the second-straight season
• In Saturday's contest against Arkansas State, the Eagles hit just three 3-pointers, the fewest since hitting two on Feb. 11, 2012
• The Eagles are 3-0 in road contests in the early season with all of the team's wins coming on their opponent's home court
• Senior Katie Meador was just shy of her first double-double against Arkansas State with nine points and nine rebounds
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Thursday's game can be viewed live via RaiseHigh.TV through the A-10 Network or by clicking here. 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.
 
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
George Washington returns to D.C. after a 10-day road trip with a record of 5-2. The Colonials picked up wins over Fresno State, Houston and No. 21 Iowa before falling to Wright State in the final game of the Lone Star Showcase. The team is 2-0 at the Charles E. Smith Center with wins over Grambling State and American to open the year.
 
As a unit, GW averaged 74.4 points per game with a shooting percentage of .408 and a 3-point clip of .322. The Colonials pull down an impressive 50.3 rebounds per game for a margin more than 14 better than their opponents. The team dishes out an average of 15.6 assists per game with 8.1 steals but has turned the ball over 18.9 times per contest through seven games so far. GW averages 5.6 3-pointers per game with 24 percent of its shots taken from long range – mostly from shooters Jonquel Jones and Shannon Cranshaw.
 
Jones is the team's top player all around with 17.1 points per game and 15 rebounds per game. The 6-4 senior has also distributed the ball for 17 assists and blocked 17 shots. She leads the team with nine 3-pointers and is shooting 42.3 percent from the floor. The reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year was an All-America Honorable Mention last season after averaging 15.3 points per game with 12.5 rebounds. This season, Jones has produced five double-doubles through seven games, including a career best 26 rebounds in the overtime win over Iowa.
 
Jones is aided by junior Caira Washington's 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The 6-2 junior leads the team with a .539 clip from the floor with no 3-point attempts. Jones' 3-point shooting is matched by Cranshaw's nine makes this season. The junior has made just one inside shot in seven games and has added 16 assists and 10 steals. GW's top performers are rounded out by grad student Lauren Chase. Chase leads the team with 12 steals and 31 assists and has contributed 6.6 points per contest in her final season.
 
The Colonials are led by fourth-year head coach Jonathan Tsipis. Tsipis' team went 29-4 last season with a 15-1 mark in A-10 play and gave him the 2015 A-10 Coach of the Year nod. The squad earned a sixth-seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell to Gonzaga in the first round. The Colonials finished the year ranked No. 19 nationally and held an official RPI of 14. The team enters Thursday's game with an RPI ranking of 94 and is receiving votes in the nationally polls after holding a top-25 mark earlier this season.
 
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
FGCU and GW have met twice before leading up to Thursday's contest. FGCU earned a 97-94 overtime win over the Colonials at Alico Arena as part of the 2009 WNIT before falling at USF in the second round. Most recently, the Eagles hosted GW to open the season last year and earned a come-from-behind 88-75 win. Thursday marks the Eagles' first trip to the Smith Center and the team's first trip to our nation's capital.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST THE COLONIALS
Backed by double-figures from five separate players, the team overcame a 10-point deficit to sail to an 88-75 win over George Washington to open the 2014-15 season.

Plagued by turnovers, the Eagles fell behind by double-digits points early in the first half but slowly chipped away at the deficit midway through the half. A nine-point run late in the first stanza pushed the Green and Blue to a 44-33 lead before the break. The home team converted 54.5 percent of its shots in the second half, including 18-of-24 shots from the charity stripe to maintain the advantage and ultimately seal the win over the Atlantic-10 foe.
Of this year's returners, Atwater and Dunson we the team's top producers with 17 and 15 points, respectively. The duo contributed a combined 16 free throws on 22 attempts and shot 53 percent from the floor.
 
LAST TIME OUT
After trading the lead on six occasions, FGCU suffered a 62-48 loss at the hands of Arkansas State University Saturday night at Alico Arena.
 
FGCU took control in the first quarter and claimed a nine-point lead before the Red Wolves responded. The visitors chipped away at the Eagle lead and outscored the Green and Blue 34-19 in the second half to take the advantage in the game's final minutes.

The Eagles shot just 13 percent from 3-point range and committed a season-high 21 turnovers for 21 A-State points in the 14-point defeat. The Eagles shot 36.7 percent from the floor in Saturday night's contest but sank just 3-of-23 attempts from beyond-the-arc, while allowing A-State to convert 41.7 percent of its shots with 3-of-10 shots from long range.

The Green and Blue pulled down 34 rebounds, compared to the Red Wolves' 36 and produced 21 turnovers with nine assists and five steals.
Kaneisha Atwater again led FGCU in the absence of Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Whitney Knight. Atwater produced 11 points with four assists, two steals and two rebounds in 25 minutes on the court before fouling out.
 
FOR COMPLETE INFO
For all the details on Tuesday's matchup check out: http://www.fgcuathletics.com/documents/2015/12/2/AT_GW_DEC_3.pdf.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will continue the season with a series of home-and-home return games from last season as they host Harvard on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at Alico Arena. 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 wins over FIU, Arkansas State and GW.
 
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 348-70 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 409-97 (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.