SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Despite a late push from the Wildcats, the FGCU women's basketball team earned a 57-55 win over Arizona Sunday, Dec. 20 at the Puerto Rico Classic. The victory at the Ruben Zayas Montanes Coliseum pushes the Eagles to 8-4 on the season, while Arizona falls to 7-3.
 
The Eagles held control through the first two quarters and took a 33-30 lead into halftime but Arizona made a strong push in the second half. The Wildcats finished the third period with a 10-1 run to take a 46-41 lead into the final break and held onto the advantage until the final minutes. FGCU trailed 51-46 with five minutes to play before senior Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) powered the Green and Blue to a win with seven points in the final four minutes as the Eagles outscored Arizona 11-4. The Eagles forced five Arizona turnovers in the final five minutes and went 4-for-5 from the free throw line to seal their eighth victory of the season.
 
"It was a very physical, aggressive game," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We were able to make enough plays in the last four minutes to ultimately win the game. A lot of different people came up with big plays. A lot of different people stepping up at just the right time."
 
Atwater paced the team with 14 points on the day, including eight scored in the fourth quarter and the seven scored in the final minutes. The senior also added five steals, four rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes on the court. Sophomore Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) contributed 12 points for the Greene and Blue including a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that gave the Eagles a two-possession lead. Senior Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) chipped in 11 points with a 5-for-6 shooting performance in the first half, helping FGCU to its initial lead. Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) facilitated the big win with six assists and no turnovers. She added four points, two steals and two boards.
 
As a unit, the Eagles were outshot by 10 percent but forced 21 Arizona turnovers to limit the Wildcats' opportunities. FGCU shot 36.2 percent with a 25 percent mark from 3-point range and allowed the Wildcats to a 46.2 percent clip from the floor. FGCU was also outrebounded, 43-23, but the Eagles grabbed nine offensive rebounds and produced 11 second-chance points to overcome the disadvantage. FGCU matched its season high with 12 steals and scored 20 points on Arizona miscues.
 
Arizona got on the scoreboard first with a mid-range jumper after pressuring FGCU on the Eagles' first possession. After trading a pair of baskets, Gradinjan hit the team's first long-range shots to give FGCU a 7-4 lead. The Wildcats continued to press on defense and matched FGCU's score with two points off an offensive rebound and a single free throw.
 
The teams held at 7-7 for several empty possessions until the game's first media timeout. Out of the breather, Knight dished a perfect pass through the Arizona defense to Gradinjan, who laid a shot in to reclaim the lead. The Eagles extended the lead to 13-9 with similar plays, feeding Haas and Laughter inside for open layups and forced Arizona into a timeout with three minutes to play in the quarter.
 
The team maintained a five-point lead with contributions from Laughter and Haas, but the Wildcats cut the run with a long-range shot from the top of the arc. Laughter responded with 3-pointer from the left corner and put the Eagles on top 19-14 in the final minute but a last-second layup from Arizona brought the score to 19-16 in favor of the Eagles after the first quarter.
 
Atwater opened the second stanza with a left-side layup before Arizona produced back-to-back opportunities to keep the FGCU advantage small in the opening minutes of the quarter. A series of successful possessions led by three-consecutive layups from Haas put the Eagles ahead 27-21 at the midpoint of the second quarter but Arizona responded to cut the deficit right away. The Wildcats drove to the rim on the first possession out of the media timeout, added a single free throw on their next possession and took hold of the lead at 28-27 on a traditional 3-point play for a 7-0 run over just three minutes.
Haas stopped the run with one free throw and helped force a turnover on Arizona's next possession. With the ball off the turnover, the Eagles fed Knight who sank a 3-pointer from two steps behind the line to spark the Eagle momentum and bring the score to 31-28.
 
The teams traded layups in the final minute and FGCU went into the break with a 33-30 lead over the Pac-12 foe.
 
Arizona scored immediately out of the break to cut the advantage to one point before Dunson drove to the rim on the other end to keep the FGCU lead at three. FGCU again allowed the Wildcats to two points on their next possession but a Gradinjan 3-pointer pushed the Eagle lead to 40-36 with seven minutes to play. The contest held at 40-36 for over three minutes as the teams traded empty possessions.
 
With 3:36 left in the quarter, Arizona produced back-to-back layups to tie the game at 40. After one free-throw from Gradinjan, the Wildcats scored six-straight points on a layup and four successful free throws to take a five-point lead at 46-41. The Wildcat run produced a 10-1 advantage over the last three and a half minutes of the quarter and gave the team the advantage heading into the final period.
 
The fourth quarter began with two and a half minutes of traded possessions but the score held at 47-41 in favor of Arizona. The Wildcats extended their lead to a game-high six points on a single free throw before the Eagles' momentum got rolling. Knight hit a 3-pointer from the right side to cut the deficit to three points and helped FGCU force a turnover on the next possession. Arizona increased the lead back to five points and held the slight advantage with 4:35 left to play as FGCU shot just 22.7 percent to start the second half.
 
With 4:19 on the clock, Atwater was sent to the free throw line when she was fouled on a drive to the rim. The senior sank both free throws to bring the score to 51-48 and stole the ball at midcourt on Arizona's drive. Atwater stormed down the court and brought the score within one on a fast-break layup with four minutes to go. Dunson took a charge on the Wildcat's next time down the court to give FGCU to ball back with a one-point deficit and three minutes to play. After two missed shots, Atwater grabbed an offensive rebound and drove to the rim for another layup where she was fouled on the shot. With a made free throw, Atwater gave FGCU the lead for the first time in the second half at 53-51.
 
FGCU forced another Arizona turnover on a steal from Laughter with 2:14 left to play, at which point Dunson dished the ball to Gradinjan who knocked down a long-range shot and forced Arizona into a timeout. The Eagles allowed the Wildcats to two quick drives out of the timeout but maintained a one-point lead as the game reached its final minute of action.
 
The Eagles missed their final 3-point opportunity with 27 seconds left and a 56-55 lead and gave the Wildcats the game's final possession. On the play, Dunson forced a deflection that enabled Atwater to grab a steal with just four seconds on the clock. Atwater sank one final free throw to push the score to 57-55 and the Eagles stifled any last attempt from the Wildcats to hold onto the win.
 
The Eagles earned their first win over a Pac-12 team and now hold a 'W' over a team from each of the five power conferences since the 2011-12 season.
 
FGCU will endure another quick turnaround as the Puerto Rico Classic concludes Monday, Dec. 21. The Eagles finish tournament play with a noon tipoff (11 a.m. ET) against Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos are 6-3 on the season with their only losses coming at the hands of top-25 teams Michigan State, Northwestern and Mississippi State. WMU suffered a 22-point loss to No. 9 MSU Saturday afternoon as part of the Puerto Rico Classic. She Eagles played the Bulldogs to a five-point loss the day before.
 
Game Notes: Atwater led all players with 14 points…the Eagles outscored Arizona in the paint, 30-28…the FGCU bench scored 17 points…FGCU held Arizona to just 1-of-8 makes from 3-point range…FGCU shot 46.4 percent in the first half but struggled in the second half at 26.7 percent…neither team ever led by more than six points…FGCU led for 20 minutes with the game tied for five minutes.
 
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 353-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.8 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 414-98 (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.