The Rundown: FGCU (23-2 | 10-0 A-Sun | 16 RPI) v. Kennesaw State (16-9 | 5-5 A-Sun | 134 RPI)
The Matchup: Karl Smesko (Kent State, '93) 13th season at FGCU (337-66/83.5%) v. Nitra Perry (Mississippi State '00) Third season at KSU (29-57/33.3%)
When: Thursday, Feb. 19
Where: The KSU Convocation Center  |  Kennesaw, Ga.
Video: via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
Live Stats: via KSUOwls.com
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees | #ASunWBB
Series History: FGCU leads 15-2 with nine straight wins
 
KENNESAW, Ga. – With just one win needed to secure its fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship, the FGCU women's basketball team will take on Kennesaw State University Thursday night at KSU's Convocation Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
 
In their first game since entering the national rankings, the Eagles will look to capture the conference title and extend their win streak to 19 games.  FGCU stands at No. 22 in the AP Top-25 and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll with an official RPI of 16 as of Wednesday.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available via KSUOwls.com with a video stream available through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app. As always, fans can also find live updates via Twitter at @FGCU_WBB.
 
GAME DAY TWEETABLES
1. FGCU currently holds an RPI rating at 16 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 80-4 in the last five seasons.
 
3. FGCU is currently riding an 18-game win streak, which stands as the 5th-best in the nation. It's been 12 weeks since the Eagles fell.
 
4. The Eagles have held A-Sun foes to just 46.6 points per game this season and are on pace to set a new conference record.
 
5. For the first time since joining the ranks of DI, the Eagles entered both Top-25 polls this week.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
The Eagles enter Thursday's game with a record of 23-2 and as the winners of 18-straight games. The Eagles have won 21 of their last 22 games and have not fallen in regulation since Nov. 20. The team holds an unblemished record of 10-0 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 hovered near 25 for several weeks. As of Wednesday, the team holds a ranking of 16 out of the nation's 349 programs.
 
The team picked up notable wins over No. 24/23 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 37 in the RPI.
 
FGCU 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 6.5 rebounds per game and leads the league with 71 made shots from the perimeter. Atwater has contributed 13.8 points per contest, while Haas adds 10.1 points off the bench.
 
Collectively, the Eagles average 73.9 points per game, while holding their opposition to 55.3 points per contest for the league's best scoring average and scoring margin. The scoring margin also ranks among the top-10 in the nation. The team has maintained a shooting percentage of .437 with a mark of .360 from the perimeter this year. The Eagles rank third in the NCAA and first among the Atlantic Sun with 10.2 shots made from beyond-the-arc per game. On defense, the Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded, 25.3 to 35.5 per game this year but hold an advantage in turnovers, 11.2 to 18.4 and steals, 9.0 to 4.9. FGCU ranks third in the country with a turnover margin of +7.20 and eighth nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 1.36.
 
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. The team becomes the first A-Sun team to earn a top-25 position since FIU in 1997.
 
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIN STREAK
With 18-straight wins, the Eagles currently hold the nation's fifth-best win streak. They sit behind only Connecticut, Princeton and Baylor and are tied with Chattanooga. 
       
The team also holds a 19-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 24-straight wins at home, a streak that also spans two seasons.
 
TOP-25
After receiving votes in the last three weeks, the Eagles broke into the Top-25 for the first time as a Division I program this week. FGCU ranks as the No. 22 team in the AP Top-25 and the No. 24 team in the USA Today Coaches' Poll for Week 15 to sit among the nation's elite.
 
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.    
 
400
Smesko is on the verge of another coaching milestone as he stands at 398 career wins in 494 games. If the Eagles continue the win streak, Smesko will hit 400 in just 496 games for a win percentage of 80.6. To compare the impressive mark, legendary Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma won his 400th in 495 games.
 
SUNSHINE STATE SUCCESS
With Florida State leading the way at No. 13, Florida boasts the most number of teams within the RPI's top-50. FGCU joins the Seminoles, USF, Miami and Stetson to lead the rest of the nation.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In its 25th game of the year, the team won its 18th-straight with a 69-43 victory over Lipscomb Saturday at Alico Arena.
 
FGCU allowed Lipscomb to take a six-point lead early on, but after five first-half lead changes, the Eagles used an 11-0 run to end the half with a 31-20 advantage. The Green and Blue used a series of streaks to extend the lead in the second half and increased it to a game-high 26 points late in the game. With double figures from three different players, the Eagles maintained their offensive consistency and again held their opponent to fewer than 50 points to maintain the nation's fourth-longest win streak.
 
Individually, Knight led the Eagles with 17 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Knight converted seven shots from the field, while contributing four blocks, three assists and two steals. Atwater and Haas also added double figures for the home team with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Even though the team started 0-for-7 from the field, the Eagles finished the contest with field goal percentage of 44.3 with six shots from long range and held the Bisons to a 31.9 percent clip with four 3-pointers. The Eagles also outrebounded Lipscomb 43-27 for their largest rebound margin of the season and forced 14 turnovers, while recording single digit turnovers for the ninth time this season.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE OWLS
Thursday marks the 18th meeting between the Eagles and the Owls with FGCU leading the all-time series 15-2. The Eagles have won nine-straight games against Kennesaw State, including a 61-47 win at Alico Arena earlier this season and have not fallen since a road contest in 2011. The team's only other loss was in the first-ever meeting between the teams. The Green and Blue have averaged 70.9 points per game against KSU, while holding the Owls to 53.7 points per contest in the 17 previous meetings.
 
SCOUTING THE HOME TEAM
With a record of 16-9 on the season and 5-5 in Atlantic Sun play, Kennesaw State welcomes FGCU to the KSU Convocation Center for Thursday night's contest. After falling at Seton Hall by just three points in November, the Owls won seven straight games in November and December with wins over Columbia, Mercer and Xavier but have since gone 6-6 with five wins and five losses in conference play.
 
This year's team returns last year's top two scorers in Kristina Wells and Deandrea Sawyers. Wells was the conference's fourth-best scorer last season with 15.3 points per game and has scored 11.2 in 25 contests as a senior. As a sophomore this season, Sawyers is leading the team and is second in the A-Sun behind only Knight with 14.5 points per contest with 54 made shots from the perimeter.  In addition to the scoring duo, the Owls added junior college transfer Jasmin McAllister, who has averaged 13.7 points per contest with the Owls and currently leads the squad with a field goal percentage of 50.6. McAllister is also averaging 10.7 rebounds per game and has amassed 12 double-doubles in her first year in the A-Sun. Wells leads the team with 92 assists on the season, while junior Karly Frye has helped facilitate the offense with 86 assists this season and leads the squad with 37.0 minutes played her game. Sawyers and Wells also average over 35 minutes per contest with the trio ranking in the top-three in the conference in time on the court.
 
As a unit, the Owls average 63.8 points per game with foes scoring 62.2 but in conference play, the team has been outscored by a margin of 1.3 points per game. The Owls have converted 40.5 percent of shots this season with a 31.4 percent clip from 3-point range. Despite making just 5.3 long-range shots a game, the Owls hold their opposition to a 29.4 percent success rate from 3-point range to rank second in the league.  Kennesaw State pulls down 39.5 boards per game and ranks third in the conference with a 2.5 rebound margin. The Owls also average 14.1 turnovers, 11.7 assists and 4.6 steals per outing.
 
Head coach Nitra Perry is in her third season at the helm of the Owls. After winning just 13 total games in her first two seasons, Perry has already guided the Owls to their highest win total in Division I action with the 16-9 record this season.
 
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 65 in the official NCAA SOS.
 
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 Thursday's matchup, the Eagles will look to continue their success with another pair of road games at USC Upstate and North Florida before finishing the regular season with 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 335-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.5 with a mark of 125-13 (90.5 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 75-1 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.