FGCU (13-4 | 1-0 A-Sun) vs USC Upstate (10-6 | 1-0 A-Sun)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 358-71 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 419-98 (80.8%)
USC Upstate Head Coach: Tammy George | Charlotte '93 | 11th Season at Upstate: 144-168 (46.1%) | 13th Season as Head Coach: 187-190 (49.6%)
When: Saturday, Jan. 16 | 4 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch: ESPN3 with David Moulton and Pete Lonergan on the call
Stats: via Statbroadcast
Game Series: FGCU leads 13-2 with an eight-game win streak
Game Notes: FGCU | USC Upstate


FORT MYERS, Fla. - As winners of six-straight games, the FGCU women's basketball team welcomes USC Upstate to Alico Arena Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff in the team's second Atlantic Sun Conference contest of the year is set for 4 p.m. as part of a double header with the FGCU men's basketball team.

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.

All FGCU home games will be streamed live via ESPN3 this season with David Moulton and Pete Lonergan on the call Saturday afternoon. Live stats will be available through FGCUStats.com, while fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.

Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game for a 'White Out'. Fans can also purchase red shirts for the February 6th 'Red Out' in honor of the American Heart Association. Shirts will be on sale for $10 in the lobby.

In addition, the Chris and Brianne Sale Laces of Love drive will take place on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to donate new shoes - in particular sneakers - or to contribute financially, with all proceeds and shoes collected going directly to low income and disadvantaged children in Lee and Collier counties. Those who plan to donate shoes are asked to do so only with new shoes, with boys and girls sizes 1-8 being the most commonly needed.

QUICK HITS:
FGCU's 151 total 3-pointers made this season and 8.9 makes per game both rank among the nation's top-10.
The FGCU projected starting lineup of Atwater, Dunson, Gradinjan, Laughter and Knight has accounted for 82.7 percent of the team's scoring this year.
The Eagles are 13-2 all-time against the Spartans and are riding an eight-game win streak with a scoring margin of 18.8
Since Whitney Knight's return from injury, FGCU has compiled a record of 7-1 with its only blemish as a five-point loss to No. 7 Mississippi State
FGCU is 132-13 in A-Sun contests since 2007 with just one loss since the 2011-12 campaign. The team boasts three perfect seasons in the last four years for a record of 67-1 and has won five-straight regular season championships with six overall since joining the A-Sun.
FGCU holds a record of 71-1 in A-Sun games played at Alico Arena. The team has won 62-straight with the last loss over seven years ago on Jan. 8, 2009 against East Tennessee State University, a team no longer in the league.

The Eagles continue Atlantic Sun Conference play with an overall record of 13-4 and a conference mark of 1-0. The team has won six-straight games, including a neutral-site win over the Pac-12's Arizona, a home victory against the SEC's Auburn and the A-Sun opener against Stetson last weekend. With the nonconference success and another strong start to the conference slate, the team currently holds an official RPI of 58.

Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 15.5 points per game through the season's first 17 games. Atwater is also leading the team with 5.7 rebounds per contest and has added 28 total steals and 58 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 10.3 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 79 of the team's 3-point shots with Gradinjan topping the team with a 38.9 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 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in just 25.3 minutes on the court through eight games. The reigning A-Sun Player of the Year earned her first start of the year against Quinnipiac and has guided the team to a 7-1 record since her return.

Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 76 assists and has added 5.9 points in a team-high 34 minutes per game. She has turned the ball over just 29 times and tops the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.62.

As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 63.6 points per game with a 39.2 percent clip from the field. The Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded 34.4 to 37.6 boards per game but have held a heavy advantage in turnovers as the team has forced 17 turnovers per game with only 12.2 miscues per game to rank ninth nationally.

USC UPSTATE
The 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference slate continues as the Eagles welcome the USC Upstate Spartans to Alico Arena in another double header with the men's program. Saturday stands as the 16th meeting between the teams and the ninth time the Spartans have visited SWFL. The Eagles have won each of the last eight matchups and hold an 8-0 record in home contests.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
USC Upstate travels to Southwest Florida with a record of 10-6 overall and a 1-0 mark in league play. The Spartans have won four-straight games, including a 58-41 victory over NJIT to open league play. Upstate was voted to finish fifth in the league standings but currently sits just behind FGCU as the only other team with double-figure wins and has faced strong competition this season with nonconference matchups against Michigan, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Through the early season, the Upstate holds an official RPI of 247.

The team lost its top scorer from last year's team that went 14-16 with a 6-8 A-Sun record but returns four starters and a core of senior leadership. Brittany Starling is currently averaging a double-double with 17.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. The 6-0 senior has converted 54 percent of shots this season with no 3-point attempts. Starling's rebounding average tops the league and ranks sixth nationally, while her point total has accounted for 25 percent of Upstate's offense this season. In addition to Starling, the Spartans gain a combined 19.2 points per game from classmates Kristen Dickerson and Brittany Clency. Dickerson paces the team with a 34.2 percent clip from 3-point range and has added 39 assists and 23 steals, both team highs. The 5-7 senior's assist total tops the team by a low margin as four different players have dished out at least 30 assists this season for the Spartans. The team also boasts four players with 20 or more steals on the year.

As a unit, the Spartans lead the league with an average of 69.9 points scored per game but have allowed opponents to 68.2 points per contest so far this season. The team also tops the league with a 39.3 percent shooting clip and 43.6 rebounds per game. The strong shooting success rate will match up against the Eagle defense, which has held foes to a 38 percent clip this season to lead the A-Sun. Upstate allows opponents to shoot 35.5 percent from 3-point range and 39.2 percent overall. Defensively, the Spartans force 18.6 turnovers per game with a league-best 3.9 blocks per game and 9.6 steals per contest.

In her 11th season with Upstate, head coach Tammy George holds a record of 144-168 with a 2-13 mark against the Green and Blue.

ALL-TIME MEETINGS
FGCU holds a 13-2 advantage over the Spartans since their first meeting in 2008. Since falling to Upstate in 2011, the Eagles have won each of the last eight meetings, including a 75-59 victory in Spartanburg last February to clinch the regular season championship and serve as Coach Smesko's 400th career victory. The team holds an 8-0 advantage in games played at Alico Arena and has outscored the Spartans by an average of 18.8 points per game in the last eight meetings.

MILESTONES MOUNTING
With such an experienced squad, several players on the team are within reach of program and conference records.

Dunson leads the team and ranks second in program history with 341 career assists. She stands just 78 away from the FGCU program record.

FGCU CAREER ASSISTS

1	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	419
2	DyTiesha Dunson	2012-16	341
3	Megan Jones	2002-05	338
4	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	335
5	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	328

Whitney Knight tops the FGCU record book with 252 blocked shots in her career and is climbing the A-Sun records this season.

ATLANTIC SUN CAREER BLOCKS

1	Jessica Bobbit	Belmont 05-09	419
2	Katie Beth Pate	Lipscomb 03-07	339
3	Whitney Knight	2012-16	252
4	Albena Branzova	FIU 91-95	250
5	Denise Hogie	CoC 91-93	248

On the offensive end, Knight currently stands fourth in career points and would tie Kelsey Jacobson's third-place mark with just one more point.

FGCU CAREER POINTS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	1,895
2	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	1,415
3	Kelsey Jacobson	2008-12	1,251
4	Whitney Knight	2012-16	1,250
5	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	1,185

Knight also ranks fourth in the FGCU record books with 162 career steals, just 85 away from the program record.

FGCU CAREER STEALS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	247
2	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	197
3	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	168
4	Whitney Knight	2012-16	162
5	Brittany Kennedy	2011-13	145

Knight entered the 2015-16 season with 516 career rebounds and will continue to climb the FGCU records. She currently stands fifth all-time.

FGCU CAREER REBOUNDS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	882
2	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	658
3	Robyn Swain	2002-04	640
4	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	601
5	Whitney Knight	2012-16	561

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 151 long-range makes on the year. The Eagles' signature shot has produced 453 of the team's 1,082 points on the year. On the national stage, the total 3-pointers made rank seventh among the NCAA's 344 teams, while the makes per game mark stands at 10th. 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.

FOR MORE INFO:
For complete information on the FGCU women's basketball team, find complete game notes at: http://www.fgcuathletics.com/documents/2016/1/13/V_UPSTATE_JAN_16.pdf

UP NEXT
The Eagles continue the Atlantic Sun slate with the final of six-straight home games. The team will welcome the league's newest member - NJIT - for a 7 p.m. contest on Monday, Jan. 18.

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. 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 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 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 game 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 358-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.4 with a mark of 132-13 (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 last season in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma, and holds a career record of 419-98 (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.