SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – With another showing of relentless defense and a season-high 30 points from senior Kaneisha Atwater, the FGCU women's basketball team defeated Western Michigan 60-42 Monday, Dec. 21 at the Ruben Zayas Montanes Coliseum. With the team's second win at the Puerto Rico Classic, the Eagles move to 9-4 on the year, while the Broncos fall to 7-4.
 
FGCU and Western Michigan traded the lead twice and matched each other's scores four times in the first half before an 11-point run to start the third quarter enabled the Eagles to steal the game's momentum. The Green and Blue outscored WMU 19-9 in the third period and increased the lead with stronger shooting in the fourth quarter to earn the team's ninth win of the year.
 
"I really liked our execution to start the second half," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We made a nice run at the beginning of the third quarter. Atwater was exceptional for us and we played good defense throughout so once we got a lead we were able to keep it.
 
As a unit, the Eagles shot 36.2 percent on the day, matching the Bronco's efficiency, but took 11 more shots and added eight made 3-pointers on the offensive end. FGCU was outrebounded 40-35 but held the advantage with 10 offensive rebounds and scored 11 second-chance points. The Eagles forced 20 WMU turnovers with eight steals and four blocks and produced 11 assists in the team's final game of the Puerto Rico Classic.
 
Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) led all players with a season-high 30 points to score exactly half of FGCU's points. The senior scored 14 points in the second quarter to give FGCU a lead and added five makes on six attempts from the free-throw line and a team-high seven rebounds. Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) added 10 points for FGCU, while DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) dished out six assists with five four points and five rebounds.
 
Gradinjan opened the game for FGCU with a put back layup after grabbing an offensive rebound on the opening possession. The Eagles sank just four of their first 14 shots but maintained a 9-6 lead through the first six minutes of action with another second-chance layup, a drive from Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat) and a long-range shot from Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School).
 
The Eagles forced five Bronco turnovers in the opening quarter to limit WMU's chances but the team was held scoreless with low-percentage shooting in the final five minutes of the quarter.
 
WMU scored two points in the final minute of the quarter to cut the deficit to 9-8 and took the lead with a traditional 3-point play on the first possession of the second quarter. Atwater responded quickly and drove through the defense to tie the game at 11 with a layup but the Broncos scored four-straight on back-to-back possessions to claim their largest lead of the half at 15-11.
 
With a four-point deficit, Dunson and Atwater combined for six-quick points to match WMU's score and reclaim the lead at 17-15. The Eagles continued to force Bronco turnovers and limit WMU's shot opportunities but were unable to increase the lead on the offensive end. The Broncos ultimately tied the game at 17 after several empty possessions but Atwater again gave FGCU the lead at 19-17 with two free throws with three minutes to play in the half.
Atwater finished the quarter with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting after knocking down back-to-back long-range shots to increase FGCU's point total before the break. The Eagles allowed the Broncos to their only 3-pointer of the game with 40 seconds to play but increased their lead back to five points on Atwater's second trifecta in the half's last seconds.
 
Despite shooting just 29.4 percent in the first half, the Eagles went into the break with a 25-20 lead. FGCU forced 11 first-half turnovers and produced nine points on the WMU miscues to hold onto the lead.
 
Sparked by a Gradinjan shot from the top of the arc, the Eagles opened the second half with 11 unanswered points to increase the lead to 36-20 in the first five minutes. WMU added a single free throw and a layup but Atwater matched the points quickly to keep FGCU's lead in double figures.
 
The Eagles shot over 60 percent to open third quarter and forced another five turnovers to extend the lead, while holding WMU to just 18 percent from the floor. Each team added five points from the charity stripe in the last few minutes of the period before another Atwater fast-break layup moved the score to 44-29 at the end of the third.
 
Atwater pushed her game total to 26 points with a long-range shot on the fourth quarter's opening possession and helped hold WMU to a 32 percent clip in the second half. With another three long-range shots, including one from Gradinjan at the six-minute mark, the Green and Blue increased the lead to a game-high 21 points. FGCU sank eight shots from the free-throw line in the final minutes and ultimately earned a 60-42 victory over the MAC's Western Michigan.
 
The Eagles finish the Puerto Rico Classic with a record of 2-1 including a win over the Pac-12's Arizona and a five-point loss to No. 9 Mississippi State. The Green and Blue surrendered just 54 points per game in the 3-game span and forced an average of 18.7 turnovers per game. Atwater led all players with 69 points in the three-day event to average 23 a game.
 
FGCU will break to for the Christmas holiday before returning to Alico Arena for the final three games of the nonconference season. The Eagles will host Quinnipiac Monday, Dec. 28 in a 7 p.m. tilt and will welcome Auburn and Hartford Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 before conference play begins.
 
Game Notes: FGCU entered the game with an increased RPI of 71 compared to WMU's 69…Atwater's season-high point total stands just three away from her career high (and FGCU DI record) 33 points…the Eagles matched WMU's shooting percentage to shoot 39 percent in Puerto Rico.
 
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 354-71 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 415-98 (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.