WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Despite a nine-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter, the FGCU women's basketball pulled out a 64-60 win over national contender George Washington Thursday night at the Charles E. Smith Center. The Eagles outshot the Colonials 21-10 over the final six minutes with 100 percent shooting from the floor and added six unanswered points in the final minute to move to 4-3 on the season. The Colonials, who are receiving votes in both national polls this week, drop to 5-3 this season with their first home loss since last November.
 
The Eagles and Colonials traded the lead 10 times through the 40-minute affair, but the home team took hold of the advantage in the second half. GW outscored FGCU 20-10 in the third quarter and extended its lead to a game-high nine points in the final stanza. After trailing 52-43 with 5:44 on the clock, the Eagles went 6-for-6 from the floor with four made shots from beyond-the-arc for the comeback. GW held a 60-58 lead with 1:26 on the clock but sophomore Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) sank her fourth 3-pointer of the game to take back the lead with one minute to play. Senior Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) sealed the pivotal victory for the Green and Blue with three made free throws and a steal in the final 10 seconds of play.
 
"We knew that to have a chance tonight we were going to need a big advantage in turnovers and made threes," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We knew they were going to dominate the boards. They got it inside on us a lot, but we forced turnovers when they pushed it inside and it kept us in the game. We were just barely in the game but we hit quite a few threes in the last few minutes and that's what we needed. It was really great to see so many people contributing when we needed it and coming up clutch for us. I'm just really proud of the way we competed tonight."
 
Atwater led the Eagles with her first double-double of the season. Even after picking up her fourth foul early in the second half, Atwater produced a game-best 22 points and added 11 rebounds. The senior dished out four assists and grabbed three steals in 33 minutes on the court. Gradinjan and DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) also contributed double-figures for FGCU with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Gradinjan sank four shots from beyond-the-arc, with two coming in the final minutes of play, while Dunson converted both of her attempts in the final minutes to match her season high.
 
Overall, the Eagles shot 40.4 percent from the floor with a season-best 41.4 percent clip from 3-point range on 12 makes. FGCU was outrebounded by the Colonials, who boast six players taller than 6-foot, by a 54-27 margin, but forced 22 Colonial turnovers and limited themselves to just 13.
 
FGCU took the initial lead in the game as GW opened the contest making just one of its first 11 shots but both teams were slow to find the basket. The home team created an 8-0 run late in the first quarter to take a 13-6 lead before sophomore Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) hit a shot from the top of the arc to bring the Eagles within four after the first quarter.
 
Atwater ignited a strong second quarter for the Green and Blue with a layup on the team's first possession. The Colonials added four-quick points to take a 17-11 lead but three more points from Atwater sparked a run for the Eagles near the eight-minute mark. Laughter tied the game at 17 with a corner three before Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) reclaimed the lead for FGCU with a long-range shot of her own. The team's 9-0 run was broken up by a single GW free throw but the Green and Blue produced another 10-2 streak to take a 30-20 advantage in the final minute of the first half. The double-digit lead would be the team's largest of the game as GW responded with four made free throws late and sent the game into the break at 30-24 in favor of the Eagles.
 
The third quarter leaned in favor of the home team as the Colonials shot 60 percent from the floor over the 10-minute period. GW's top player, 2015 All American Jonquel Jones, started the quarter with a mid-range jumper and helped the Colonials produce a seven-point run over the first four minutes of the half to take back the lead at 31-30. Gradinjan drove to the rim to stop the GW run, but the Colonials added another eight-straight points to extend their advantage to 39-32. Gradinjan sank back-to-back 3-pointers near the two-minute mark before GW retaliated to take a four-point lead into the final quarter.
 
The Eagles scrambled to gain control on their first possession of the fourth quarter and saw Dunson knock down a long-range shot as the shot clock expired to give the team some momentum, but it was quickly stifled by an 8-0 run by the Colonials. The home team used four-straight layups to take its largest lead of the game at 52-43 with 5:44 on the clock.
 
The nine-point deficit did nothing to quell the Eagles as Dunson sparked the comeback in the game's remaining minutes. The senior captain started the run with a traditional 3-point play as she was fouled on a successful layup. Haas dished the ball to Atwater on the team's next time down the court where the senior sank a corner 3-pointer directly in front of GW's most boisterous fans, giving the Eagles the game's energy with five minutes to play.
 
Haas added another assist on the team's next possession as Dunson knocked down another long-range shot and forced GW into a timeout with the game knotted at 52. The Colonials scored on a right-side layup out of the timeout and used a steal and a layup to take a four-point lead with 3:21 to play, but Haas and Gradinjan combined to chip away at the lead and matched the Colonials score at 58 with 1:50 on the clock. After another Jones jump shot, Gradinjan stepped back at the 3-point line to take a shot over GW's 6-foot defender and reclaimed the lead for FGCU with 1:03 remaining.
 
GW used the NCAA's new advancement rule to move the ball to midcourt after a last-minute timeout, but down 61-60, the Colonials lost control of the ball during their last real chance to take the lead and sent FGCU to the foul line for two shots with nine seconds left. Atwater sank both shots to extend the FGCU lead to 63-60 and stole the inbounds pass to take away GW's last possession. Atwater added one final free throw to bring the game to its final score of 64-60 and hand GW its first loss at home since November of 2014.
 
After the strong win over the A-10 favorite, the Eagles return to Southwest Florida for a quick turnaround as they host Harvard Saturday, Dec. 5. Tipoff between the Eagles and Crimson is set for 7 p.m. at Alico Arena.
 
Game Notes: The Eagles were without 2015 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Whitney Knight and Vanderbilt transfer Kady Schrann – who are both out with foot injuries…Atwater's double-double stands as the second of her career…the Eagles had five players with three or more fouls for the last eight minutes of the game…GW had won 15-straight home games prior to Thursday night, the nation's 10th best win streak…five different players hit at least one 3-pointer for FGCU…GW's Jonquel Jones produced her sixth double-double of the season with 21 points and 21 rebounds…FGCU scored 16 points on GW turnovers…the Eagles are now 3-0 over GW all-time, including wins in the last two seasons.
 
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 349-70 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 410-97 (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.