FGCU (11-4) vs Hartford (4-8)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 356-71 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 417-98 (80.8%)
Hartford Head Coach: Jennifer Rizzotti | Connecticut '96 | 17th Season at Hartford: 309-189 (62.7%)  
When: Saturday, Jan. 2 | 7 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch: ESPN3 with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call
Stats: via Statbroadcast
Game Series: First Meeting
Game Notes: FGCU  |  Hartford
 
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – With an 11-4 record on the year, the FGCU women's basketball team will conclude nonconference action Saturday, Jan. 2 as the Eagles welcome the Hartford Hawks to Alico Arena. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. for the team's first contest of 2016.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting FGCUAthletics.com/tickets, calling the Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 or by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office. Fans with a ticket to the FGCU men's basketball game against Eckerd at 4 p.m. will be permitted to stay for the women's contest free of charge.
 
All FGCU home games will be streamed live via ESPN3 this season with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call Saturday night. Live stats will be available through FGCUStats.com, while fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.
 
The Eagles conclude the nonconference portion of the 2015-16 season Saturday night after previously going 11-4 in the early season. The team has won four straight games, including wins over the Pac-12's Arizona and a recent victory against the SEC's Auburn.
 
Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 16.1 points per game through the season's first 15 games. Atwater is adding 5.6 rebounds per contest with 24 total steals and 53 assists.
 
Sophomores Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day) and Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) have also contributed heavily on offense for the Green and Blue with 11.1 and 9.6 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 688 of the team's 3-point shots with Laughter topping the team with a 40.7 percent success rate from beyond-the-arc.
 
In her return from injury, senior Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) has averaged 11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in just 24.3 minutes on the court through six games. Knight earned her first start of the year against QU and produced 19 points and eight rebounds with three blocks and three steals. As she continues to recover from the foot injury, Knight's time on the floor will continue to increase but her presence on the court has been evident immediately.
 
Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 64 assists and has added 6.5points in a team-high 34.0 minutes per game. Dunson scored 14 for the Green and Blue in each of the last two games. She has turned the ball over just 28 times and has grabbed 18 steals so far this season.
 
As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 63.8 points per game with a 39.3 percent clip from the field.
 
QUICK HITS: TWEETABLES
- FGCU's 133 3-pointers made this season ranks second nationally, behind only Western Illinois' 143
- The FGCU projected starting lineup has accounted for 83.5 percent of the team's 957 points this year
- The Eagles are 112-39 all-time in first-time meetings. Hartford stands as the team's 152nd opponent and the team's eighth new opponent this season.
- With strong results, FGCU's RPI has consistently increased since the first official ranking and currently stands at 44
- Knight jumped two spots in the #ASunWBB Record Books and now stands third all-time with 250 career blocks
 
HARTFORD
The Hartford Hawks of the America East Conference enter their final nonconference contest with a record of 4-8. The Hawks have lost five straight, including an 82-51 loss at George Washington Wednesday night. The team previously dropped a 71-69 overtime game to Quinnipiac and picked up wins over Cornell, Sacred Heart, Lafayette and Central Connecticut State.
 
Hartford head coach Jennifer Rizzotti is in her 17th season with the Hawks. The UConn graduate holds a record of 309-189 with Hartford for a win percentage of 62.7 and has guided the team to an official RPI of 239 this season.
 
The Hawks have averaged just 49.3 points per game this season and have allowed opponents to 61.7 points a game. Hartford has shot 33.1 percent through its first 12 games with a 29.6 percent clip from 3-point range.
 
The team boasts one double-figure scorer in junior Deanna Mayza. Mayza averages 13.2 points a game with a team-best 46 assists and a shooting percentage of 32.9 percent. Sophomore Darby Lee has been the team's most effective shooter at 40.9 percent but has taken just 88 shots and produced 7.6 points per outing. Mayza and senior Katelyn Skinner have converted two-thirds of the team's 61 3-point shots this season. Skinner paces the team with a 38 percent success rate from beyond-the-arc and adds 6.8 points a game.
 
MILESTONES MOUNTING
The team boasts multiple players who stand among FGCU's program records. Here's a breakdown:
 
DUNSON
Ranks fourth on the all-time assist list with 329 after recently passing Associate Head Coach Chelsea Dermyer's 301 and Courtney Chihil's 328. Dunson stands just 90 shy of Shannon Murphy's all-time record of 419 and will take over the third position in the records with six more.
 
KNIGHT
Holds the FGCU program record with 250 blocked shots, topping FGCU history by over 120 swatted shots. Knight also holds the single-season record of 93 (2013-14) and the single-game record of nine (v. JU 1/23/14). Knight is also approaching the top position in the A-Sun career record books. With five blocks against Auburn, Knight improved two positions and stands tied for third all-time. She will reach the second position with 14 blocks and would take over Belmont's Jessica Bobbitt's record with 40 more blocked shots.
 
Knight ranks among FGCU's top five scorers and rebounders with 1,226 career points and 548 career rebounds. She currently stands fourth in points and would tie Kelsey Jacobson's third-place mark with 25 more points. Knight holds the fifth-position in the rebounding records, 334 shy of Sarah Hansen's record and 53 away from Chihil's fourth-position.

POWERFUL WINS
After defeating the Pac-12's Arizona in Puerto Rico before the holidays, the Eagles have now defeated at least one team from each of the Power Five conferences. With a home win over Auburn to end 2015, the team has picked up 11 total wins against the BCS programs.  – SEC: Auburn (Dec. 30, 2015), LSU (Dec. 28, 2012), Florida (Nov. 14, 2008); ACC: Clemson (Nov. 28, 2014) Virginia Tech (Dec. 16, 2012/Dec. 21, 2011/Nov. 25,2010), Big Ten: Michigan State (Nov. 19, 2011), Indiana (Dec. 21, 2010); Big 12: Oklahoma State (Mar. 21, 2015); Pac-12: Arizona (Dec. 20, 2015)
 
RAINING THREES
FGCU tops the Atlantic Sun with 8.9 3-pointers made her game and 133 long-range makes on the year. The Eagles' signature shot has produced 399 of the team's 957 points on the year. On the national stage, the total 3-pointers ranks second among the NCAA's 344 teams, while the makes per game mark stands at 13th. The team has consistently ranked among the nation's top 3-point shooters and holds the NCAA single-game record with 22 made against ETSU on Jan. 12, 2013.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles begin the quest for another Atlantic Sun Conference championship next Saturday, Jan. 9 as the team hosts rival Stetson University in a 4 p.m. contest.
 
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 356-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.4 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 417-98 (80.8 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.