FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's basketball team outlasted Quinnipiac University 71-70 Monday night in the team's first overtime contest of the season. With the win at Alico Arena, the Eagles pick up their 10th win of the season to move to 10-4, while Quinnipiac falls to 5-6.
 
The Eagles took control of the game early on and created a 19-point advantage in the first quarter, but the Bobcat defense stifled the Green and Blue as the visiting team chipped away at the lead. The Bobcats cut the deficit and took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter before extending the advantage to four points on back-to-back 3-pointers late in the game. FGCU outscored the Bobcats 6-2 in the final five minutes to send the game to overtime tied at 59.
 
FGCU went 4-for-5 from the field in the five-minute overtime period with back-to-back long-range shots from senior DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) and a late pair of free throws by Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU). The Eagles allowed a mid-range jumper in the final seconds of the game but held onto a one-point advantage as time expired.
 
"I thought we started off the game strong," noted head coach Karl Smesko. "We were really pushing the ball and creating plays early with our offense. Fortunately, we got off to a good start because we really struggled to score after the first quarter. They're a very good defensive team and they're very well coached. I like their toughness. For us, it was nice to have some good fortune and be able to make the last play and get out with a win against a good team."
 
Overall, the Eagles were held to a 34.9 percent clip from the field with a 33.3 percent mark from 3-point range. The Bobcats outshot the home team with a 42.6 percent performance and outrebounded FGCU 38-34. The Green and Blue sank 10 long-range shots and went 17-for-22 from the charity stripe to hold the advantage with six blocks and nine steals. FGCU limited QU's offensive production by forcing 20 turnovers and pulling down 14 offensive rebounds for 15 second-chance points.
 
Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) lead the team with 19 points and eight rebounds. In 39 minutes on the court, Knight swatted three shots, grabbed three steals and dished out two assists. The team also saw double-figure contributions from Dunson, Atwater and sophomore Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Country Day). Dunson put up 14 points, with 12 coming after halftime, and dished out six assists with no turnovers. Laughter also added 14 points with three makes from 3-point range, while Atwater went 7-for-10 from the free-throw line for 13 points. Atwater added five rebounds, five assists and two steals for a well-rounded effort in a team-high 44 minutes.
 
In her first game back at Alico Arena, Knight won the tipoff and laid in a shot in the opening seconds to give FGCU the initial lead. After a traditional 3-point play from the reigning Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, the Eagles produced a 12-2 run over just four minutes to increase the lead to 19-6 at the midpoint of the quarter.
 
With a 13-point lead, the Eagles added to their point total on consecutive possessions. Atwater broke through a Quinnipiac press with a long pass to Laughter who laid it in before the sophomore followed with a 3-pointer from the left side to push the score to 27-8 in favor of the Eagles.
 
Despite a 19-point deficit, the Quinnipiac defense remained relentless. QU cut the Eagle lead to 14 points before the end of the quarter and used a 7-0 run to outscore FGCU 12-6 over the second stanza. With the strong quarter, the Bobcats cut the Eagle advantage to 33-25 at the break.
 
The Bobcats cut the lead to five points with a long-range make to open the second half but back-to-back 3-pointers from Laughter and Dunson extended the FGCU advantage back to double-digits. FGCU held onto a 10-point lead with three minutes to go in the quarter but the Bobcats sparked an 11-1 run in the final minutes to bring the score to 48-46 with just one quarter to play. The QU run included a mid-range jumper, a 3-pointer and six made free throws on six attempts.
 
Knight pushed the FGCU lead back to five points with a 3-pointer to open the quarter but Quinnipiac responded with an 8-2 run, all from junior captain Adily Martucci. Martucci led the Bobcats to cut the deficit over a two-minute span and gave QU its first lead with a long-range shot with six minutes to go.

Quinnipiac extended its lead to four points on its next possession with another shot from beyond-the-arc before a steal by Knight set the Eagles up for an important possession. Knight dished the ball to Laughter on the right side where the sophomore was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Laughter knocked down all three free throws to bring the score to 57-56 in favor of Quinnipiac with 4:41 left in regulation.
 
Martucci again helped the Bobcats keep the lead with a layup near the three-minute mark but Knight responded for the Eagles with a corner three on the next possession to tie the game at 59. The teams traded empty possessions in the final minutes and went into the extra time locked at 59-59.
 
Dunson fed the ball to Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) on the in-bounds play to start the quarter, allowing Haas to put the Eagles ahead 61-59 but again the Bobcats were quick to respond. The teams traded points twice more in the early goings and held a 63-63 tie with two minutes left to play.
 
Quinnipiac hit a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead before Dunson's senior leadership sparked the Eagle's endgame. Dunson knocked down a long-range shot with 1:17 on the clock to tie the game at 66 but QU took back the lead on a long two-pointer with under a minute to play. Dunson again came up clutch for the Green and Blue and nailed another three on the team's next possession to maintain the lead at 69-68 with 34 seconds to play.

With 20 seconds to go, Quinnipiac drove to the rim but Laughter drew a charge to reclaim possession for the Eagles. After the inbounds pass, Atwater dribbled five seconds off the clock before drawing another foul where she knocked in two free throws to move the score to 71-68. Quinnipiac added one final jumper in the last five seconds but the Eagles held onto the advantage to survive with the one-point lead.
 
The Eagles will take a quick turnaround before welcoming Auburn to Alico Arena Wednesday, Dec. 30 for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Green and Blue host the SEC foe after traveling to Auburn last season where the team suffered a 72-69 loss at the hands of the Tigers.
 
Game Notes: FGCU has won its last three games, despite being outshot and outrebounded in all three games…the Eagles are now 3-0 in games decided by fewer than four points…FGCU is 3-3 after trailing with five minutes to play…the QU game marked the team's first overtime contest of the season…the 22 personal fouls called against FGCU stands as a season high…
 
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.
  
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 355-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.3 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 416-98 (80.9 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.