FORT MYERS, Fla. – With a stellar first-quarter performance that included sharp shooting and a heavy defensive hand, the FGCU women's basketball team took control of the game and held onto the lead to earn a 74-65 win over Harvard Saturday night at Alico Arena. The Eagles pick up their first home win of the year to improve to 5-3, while the Crimson move to 4-4 this season.
 
The Eagles sank six of their first seven shot attempts to take control of the contest right out of the gates. The home team forced 10 Harvard turnovers in the first half for 17 points and used seven 3-pointers to take a substantial 45-26 lead into the break. Harvard created a 21-2 run in the third quarter to cut the FGCU lead to just six points, but the Eagles maintained the advantage through the final buzzer with a late mid-range jumper from DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) and six free throws in the final 50 seconds.
 
"We played a great first quarter; probably our best quarter of the year," said head coach Karl Smesko. "We shot well and executed on offense, but we got a little bit sloppy and let Harvard stay in the game. I don't think we played with the same defensive intensity in the second half and they took advantage of it. Overall, I'm really happy with the team's ability to come off the road and play a really good Harvard team less than 48 hours later and come out so strong. There's definitely been periods of really good basketball over the last couple of games. Now we're looking to extend that so that we're playing FGCU basketball consistently."
 
Overall, the Eagles shot 42.6 percent from the floor with 11 3-pointers and held Harvard to a 39.7 percent clip over the 40-minute contest. Harvard outrebounded the Green and Blue 49-32, but FGCU held the advantage in assists, 14-11, and turnovers, 15-11.
 
Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) led all players with a season-best 27 points and added nine rebounds, while Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) and Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) contributed double figures with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Gradinjan and Laughter each put up four long-range shots in the win. Dunson dished out six assists with four steals in 36 minutes on the court.
 
The Eagles got off to a hot start as Gradinjan nailed a 3-pointer from the left side and the Eagles followed with successful shots on five of their next six attempts. Points from Gradinjan, Atwater, Laughter and Jaime Gluesing (Solon, Ohio/Solon High School) gave the Green and Blue a 15-6 lead and forced Harvard into a timeout just four minutes in.
 
The Crimson scored on a driving layup right out of the breather but FGCU responded with seven-straight points to push the lead to 20-8. Harvard put together back-to-back buckets to stop the run before FGCU finished the quarter with another seven-point streak and took a 29-13 lead into the first break.
 
FGCU shot 68.8 percent in the first 10 minutes and forced seven Harvard turnovers for 13 points. The team saw all seven players contribute on offense and defense to hold a 16-point lead early on.
 
The teams traded 3-pointers to open the second quarter before back-to-back layups from Dunson increased the FGCU advantage to 20 points. Atwater added a five-point spurt midway through the quarter and pushed the lead to 45-22 with a shot from beyond-the-arc near the three-minute mark. The Crimson capped the half with four points to cut the deficit but the Eagles went into halftime with a 19-point advantage.
 
FGCU finished the first half with a 51.5 shooting percentage and seven 3-pointers to hold the lead at 45-26.
 
Gradinjan and Atwater combined for seven points in the first two minutes of the third quarter to extend the FGCU lead to 25 points but the game-high deficit sparked a Crimson run that lasted into the fourth quarter.
 
Harvard sank back-to-back 3-pointers with seven minutes on the clock and followed with two layups for a 10-point run. Atwater stopped the streak with a driving layup but the Crimson continued the run with another 11-straight points. Harvard's 21-2 run spanned just five minutes and cut the FGCU lead to six points at 53-47. The Crimson shot 64 percent during the comeback with three long-range shots.
 
Atwater and Laughter forged ahead for FGCU with five-straight points to spark the home crowd but another bucket by Harvard cut the deficit to just nine points with one quarter to play.
 
A 3-pointer from the top of the arc gave Atwater a season-high 25 points and put the Eagles ahead 12 again but the Crimson were quick to respond. The visiting team continued to chip away at the deficit and brought the score to 63-57 with 7:25 to play. Harvard missed two 3-point attempts in an effort to cut the lead even more before Gradinjan set the crowd wild with a 3-pointer with 5:40 to go.
 
Harvard connected on consecutive shots near the four-minute mark to bring the score to 66-61 but a mid-range jumper from Dunson proved to be a smart decision and gave the Green and Blue a seven-point lead with two minutes to play. Katie Meador (Salem, Ill/Salem Community School) grabbed a defensive rebound on the Crimson's next possession but sent Harvard to the free throw line with 1:05 on the clock. The Crimson sank two free throws and called timeout to set up the defense as they attempted a five-point comeback in the final minute of play.
 
The Eagles were fouled five times in the final 58 seconds and got successful free throws out of Atwater, Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) and Laughter to seal the victory at 74-65.
 
FGCU will take a break from competition for final exams this week and will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 12 when the team travels north again to face Providence College in Rhode Island. Tipoff between the Eagles and Friars is set for 2:30 p.m.
 
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 produced a season-high 27 points in the win with 10 made field goals…FGCU scored 17 points on Harvard's 15 turnovers…it was the second-consecutive game that FGCU was outrebounded by double-figures but still earned a win…the Eagles picked up their 350^th program victory, all under Smesko.
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 350-70 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 411-97 (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.