The Rundown: FGCU (22-2 | 9-0 A-Sun | 17 RPI) v. Lipscomb (8-15 | 3-6 A-Sun | 250 RPI)
The Matchup: Karl Smesko (Kent State, '93) 13th season at FGCU (336-66/83.5%) v. Greg Brown (Lipscomb '93) Third season at LU (17-65/20.7%)
When: Saturday, Feb. 14
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Video: via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
Live Stats: via Statbroadcast
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees | #ASunWBB
Series History: FGCU leads 15-0
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – In need of only two wins to clinch its fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship, the FGCU women's basketball team will welcome Lipscomb University to Alico Arena for a 7 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Feb. 14. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast on FGCUAthletics.com with a video stream available through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call. As always, fans can also find live updates via Twitter at @FGCU_WBB.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Saturday marks FGCU's annual 'Red Out' benefitting the American Heart Association. The 'Red Out' game intends to raise awareness about the number one killer of men and women – a disease that claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined – cardiovascular disease.
 
FGCU Athletics will be selling red FGCU shirts in the lobby of Alico Arena for $10 with all proceeds going to support the American Heart Association.
 
GAME DAY TWEETABLES
1. FGCU currently holds an RPI rating at 17 after rising to a program-best 13 to start Atlantic Sun action.  #EaglesRising
2. In a quest for their fifth-straight #ASunWBB Championships, the Eagles have compiled a record of 79-4 in the last five seasons.
3. FGCU is currently riding a 17-game win streak, which stands as the 4th-best in the nation. It's been 11 weeks since the Eagles fell.
4. FGCU has held Lipscomb to under 60 points in 13 of 15 previous meetings.
5. Earlier this week, FGCU picked up votes in both the AP Top-25 & the USA Today Coaches' Poll for the third-straight week.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
The Eagles enter Saturday's game with a record of 22-2 and as the winners of 17-straight games. The Eagles have won 20 of their last 21 games and have not fallen in regulation since Nov. 20. The team holds an unblemished record of 9-0 in conference play, a full three games ahead of second-ranked Stetson.
 
With help from the strong record and the team's strength of schedule, the Eagles climbed to a program-best RPI rating of 13 at the end of nonconference action and have since hovered around the top-25. As of Friday, the team holds a ranking of 17 out of the nation's 349 programs. The team's strong season has also earned them votes in both the AP Top-25 and USA Today Coaches' Polls.
 
The team picked up notable wins over No. 20/21 George Washington, Quinnipiac, Wichita State, Arkansas State, Cal-State Northridge, Southern Miss. and Harvard in nonconference action before defeating rival Stetson twice since conference play began. Those marquee wins give FGCU a record of 7-1 against the RPI's top-100 teams, with the only loss coming in double overtime to Ohio State, who stands at 34 in the RPI. As a member of the RPI's top-20, the Eagles join, the Eagles are one of just three teams unranked in the AP and USA Today Coaches' Polls.
 
This year's team boasts three double-figure scorers in Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School), Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) and Stephanie Haas (Avon Lakes, Ohio/Magnificat High School). Knight is pacing the squad and the league with 15.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and leads the league with 69 made shots from the perimeter. Atwater has contributed 13.7 points per contest, while Haas adds 10.0 per game.
 
Collectively, the Eagles average 74.1 points per outing, while holding their opposition to 55.8 points per contest for the league's best scoring average and scoring margin. In conference games, the team has outscored foes by 20.3 points per game and has held its opposition to an average of 47 points per game. The overall scoring margin ranks among the top-15 in the nation and stands fewer than three points per game out of the top-10. The team has maintained a shooting percentage of .437 with a mark of .364 from the perimeter this year. The Eagles rank third in the NCAA and first among the Atlantic Sun with 10.3 shots made from beyond-the-arc per game. On defense, the Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded, 35.9 to 35.0 per game overall but hold a 1.9 rebound advantage in conference games.  The Eagles also hold an advantage in turnovers, 11.4 to 18.6 and steals, 9.1 to 4.8. FGCU ranks fourth in the country with a turnover margin of +7.26 and 10th nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 1.31.
 
The Eagles currently lead the Atlantic Sun Conference in points per game, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, turnover margin, assist to turnover ratio, assists per game and win-loss percentage.
 
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWIN STREAK
With 17-straight wins, the Eagles currently hold the nation's fourth-best win streak. They sit behind only Connecticut, Princeton and Baylor and are tied with Chattanooga.  All teams with longer win streaks are ranked in both Top-25 polls.
       
The team also holds an 18-game win streak in conference games dating back to last season to rank sixth in the nation and sits only behind the nation's top two teams in Connecticut and South Carolina with 23-straight wins at home, a streak that also spans two seasons.
 
RECEIVING VOTES
The Eagles are now receiving votes in both the AP Top-25 and the USA Today Coaches' Poll. FGCU earned three votes in each poll to rank among the nation's top teams two weeks and has increased its points earned in each of the last two weeks.
 
TOP-100
The Eagles hold a 7-1 record against the nation's top-100 teams based on RPI with 'W's over George Washington, Quinnipiac, Stetson, Wichita State and Southern Miss. Their only loss was in an overtime battle against the Big Ten's Ohio State in the US Virgin Islands.    
 
LAST TIME OUT
Backed by four double-figure scorers and 12 makes from 3-point range, the FGCU women's basketball team ran away with a 75-47 victory over Northern Kentucky University Thursday night at Alico Arena. With their 17th-straight win, the Eagles move to 22-2 on the season with a perfect 9-0 record in Atlantic Sun action, while the Norse fall to third place in the A-Sun with a 5-4 record and a 14-10 mark overall.
 
Thursday marked the second-straight game that the Eagles defeated the second-place team in the A-Sun by 20 points or more as the Green and Blue handed Stetson a 61-39 loss in DeLand last weekend.
 
The Eagles and Norse traded buckets to open the game, with each team shooting over 66 percent early on in the fast-paced bout, but FGCU constructed an 11-3 run midway through the half with 3 long-range shots to take control. After leading 42-24 at the break, the Eagles held NKU to just two points through the first nine minutes of the second half and increased their lead to a game-high 41 points. NKU battled back late in the contest but could never challenge the Green and Blue lead as FGCU ran away with a 75-47 victory in front of the home crowd.
 
The win marks the Eagles' 60th-straight conference victory at home and extends the team's win streak in home games to 23 games to rank third in the nation. Overall, FGCU's 17-game win streak sits as the fourth-best streak in the nation, behind only no. 2/1 Connecticut, no. 3/3 Baylor and no. 16/18 Princeton.
 
Led by 20 points from Knight, the Eagles saw four double-figure scorers in Thursday night's game. Knight sank four long-range shots and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds, while Atwater and Haas each contributed 13 on the night. Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./ Cudahy High School) rounded out the scoring efforts with 10 points in 17 minutes.
 
Haas' scoring total was aided by a perfect 9-for-9 outing from the free-throw line. The mark stands as the third-best performance in Eagle history, just two shy of the program record. Haas dished out three of the team's 18 assists, with DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) leading the way with six.  Eight different Eagles contributed at least one assist as the team produced an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0 with another single-digit turnover performance.
 
As a unit, the Eagles shot 44.6 percent from the field with 12 made 3-pointers and an 86.7 percent clip from the free-throw line. FGCU outrebounded NKU 36-32 and held the Norse to a 32.6 percent clip from 3-point range. FGCU also forced 15 miscues for 21 points.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE BISONS
The Eagles and Bisons have met on 15 occasions since the 2007-08 season with the Green and Blue earned every win. The perfect 15-0 record was aided by three wins during the 2013-14 season and a 71-49 win in Nashville earlier this season. The team has outscored LU by an average of 75-48 points per game and has held the Bisons to fewer than 60 points in all but two meetings.
 
SCOUTING THE VISITING TEAM
Lipscomb travels to Fort Myers with a record of 8-15 and an A-Sun mark of 3-6. The team opened the conference season on a strong note, compiling wins over Kennesaw State, Jacksonville and North Florida but fell to FGCU in Nashville Jan. 29 and has since lost four straight to stand in seventh place.  
 
Junior Ashley Southern returns once against as the Lady Bisons leading scorer after earning Preseason All-Conference Team honors. After breaking last season's school record for double-doubles in a season and most in A-Sun play since 2008, Southern guides this year's efforts at 14.2 points per games and 8.6 rebounds per game. Southern is converting at a clip of 45.6 percent from the floor and leads the team with 20 blocks. Third-year guard Danay Fothergill is Lipscomb's top shooter from behind the arc with a conversion percentage of 45.2. Fothergill's three-point field goal percentage is the 12th-best figure in the nation. Rookie Emily Eubank has made an immediate made impact offensively for LU with team-high 96 assists, while senior guard Sarah Bliss is third in scoring with 10.4 points per outing and leads the team with 37 steals.
 
Much like FGCU, a majority of Lipscomb's damage occurs behind the arc. The Lady Bisons are converting 36.4 percent from three-point range, tied with the Eagles for the A-Sun's best mark. LU also sinks 8.7 long balls per contest, second only to FGCU. The team has tallied nearly 10 3-pointers per game in conference games with a 40.0 percent clip. Overall from the floor, the Lady Bisons have assembled a mark of 40.8 percent from the floor but the Bisons have struggled on the glass and have been outrebounded but a margin of 7.6 boards per game.
 
Head coach Greg Brown is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater. Brown is looking to double his win total each season after a 3-26 total in 2012-13 and a 6-24 record in his second year at LU.
 
PROTECTING THE NEST
It has been over six years since the Eagles fell in an Atlantic Sun Conference contest at home. The team holds a 60-game win streak at Alico Arena that spans over 318 months or 2,228 days. Overall, the Eagles are 191-14 in games at Alico with a 69-1 record all time against A-Sun foes. The current streak of 23 game stands as third in the nation behind only South Carolina and Connecticut.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Eagle's tough nonconference schedule has been crucial in the team's high RPI ranking this year. The team currently stands at 76 in the official NCAA SOS, ahead of top-25 teams like Nebraska, Mississippi State, Princeton, Rutgers and Seton Hall.
 
SMESKO'S PREPARATION
Smesko's game preparation is one of the most crucial factors in the Eagles' all-time success.  Last season, the team went 14-2 in games when they had four or more days to prepare.  In 13 seasons, Smesko holds a record of 120-20 in games with that much time for preparing for a win percentage of 86 percent. 
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
On the heels of four-consecutive regular season championships and the team's second Atlantic Sun Championship in three years, the Eagles were once against picked to win the Atlantic Sun in the annual preseason coaches' poll.
 
With 62 points and six first-place votes, the Eagles finished four points ahead of in-state rival Stetson University.  The Hatters garnered two first-place votes to finish second in the poll with 58 points. The Green and Blue picked up 11 first-place votes in the media poll for 123 total points, with Stetson earning four top nods and 104 total points.
 
The 2013-14 defending Atlantic Sun Champions earned three wins over the Hatters last season, including the regular season finale and the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Final. With help from those wins, the Eagles finished with their fourth-straight regular season title and earned their second tournament championship title in three seasons.
 
In addition to the team's predicted success, three individuals also garnered preseason All-Conference accolades.  As a former First Team All-Conference member, Knight picked up the Player of the Year nod, while Cobb and Haas also earned spots on the 10-member Preseason All-Conference team.
 
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's matchup, the Eagles will look to continue their success with a pair of road games at Kennesaw State and USC Upstate next week. Following the road swing, the Eagles will conclude the season with a mid-week game at North Florida and one final home game against Jacksonville Feb. 28.  
 
Single-game tickets for all FGCU women's basketball games are on sale online at FGCUAthletics.com, over the phone at 239-590-7145 or in person at the Alico Arena Box Office.
 
Group sales for women's basketball games are available for parties of 20 or more at a discounted rate.  Beginning this season, groups will receive the opportunity for to upgrade their package to include chairback seats, a PA announcement and a special FGCU group T-Shirt at a cost of $10.
 
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.
 
Head coach Karl Smesko earned his fourth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2013-14 campaign. Under his direction, the team completed the season with a record of 26-8, including a 17-1 mark in conference action and won the program's 300th win last January. Smesko guided the Eagles to their fourth-consecutive regular season championship and went undefeated in the A-Sun Conference tournament to win their second Tournament Championship in three seasons.  With 20 wins already in the 2014-15 season, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 11-straight 20+ win seasons.  He maintains a record of 336-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.5 with a mark of 126-13 (90.5 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 76-1 record in conference play in the last four seasons.  The five-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher.  Smesko joins Connecticut's Geno 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 visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.