FGCU (16-4 | 4-0 A-Sun) at Kennesaw State (7-12 | 2-2 A-Sun)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 361-71 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 422-98 (80.8%)
KSU Head Coach: Nitra Perry | Mississippi State '00 | 4th Season at KSU: 37-73 (33.6%)
When: Tuesday, Jan. 26 | 2 p.m.
Where: KSU Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga.
Watch: ESPN3
Stats: via Statbroadcast
Game Series: FGCU leads 16-2 since first meeting in 2008
 
 
KENNESAW, Ga. – In the second game of a two-game road trip altered by Winter Storm Jonas, the FGCU women's basketball team travels to Kennesaw State University for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The game, originally slated for Monday night, was moved to accommodate travel changes due to the winter weather. The Eagles look to extend a nine-game win streak in the first of two meetings with the Owls this season.
 
QUICK HITS:
• RAINING THREES: FGCU's 189 total 3-pointers made this season ranks ninth nationally with the 9.5 makes per game also standing as the nation's ninth-best mark.
• The FGCU projected starting lineup of Atwater, Dunson, Gradinjan, Laughter and Knight has accounted for 83 percent of the team's scoring this year.
• The Eagles are 6-0 in true road games this season and have outscored opponents by 19.2 points per game in away games.
• FGCU is 16-2 against Kennesaw State since the first meeting in 2008. The Eagles are riding a 10-game win streak since a loss in 2011.
 
• Since Whitney Knight's return from injury, FGCU has compiled a record of 10-1 with its only blemish as a five-point loss to No. 10 Mississippi State.
• FGCU is 135-13 in A-Sun contests since 2007 with just one loss since the 2011-12 campaign. The team boasts three perfect seasons in the last five years for a record of 71-1 and has won five-straight regular season championships with six overall since joining the A-Sun.
 
The Eagles continue Atlantic Sun Conference play on the road with an overall record of 16-4 and a conference mark of 4-0. The team began conference play with a win over rival Stetson and picked up wins over USC Upstate and NJIT last weekend and extended the win streak to nine games with a win at Lipscomb Sunday afternoon. With the nonconference success and another strong start to the conference slate, the team currently holds an official RPI of 61.
 
Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 15.2 points per game through the season's first 20 games. Atwater is also contributing 5.6 rebounds per contest and has added 67 assists and a team-best 32 steals.
 
Since her return from injury, senior Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) has averaged 12.1 points per game and has led the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. The reigning A-Sun Player of the Year earned her first start of the year against Quinnipiac and has guided the team to a 10-1 record since her return. Knight scored 25 points with seven 3-pointers in the win at Lipscomb and was named this week's A-Sun Player of the Week.

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 9.3 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 88 of the team's 3-pointers and currently rank as the top-two long-range shooters in the conference.
Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 92 assists and has added 5.6 points in a team-high 33.4 minutes per game. She has turned the ball over just 35 times and tops the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.64.
 
As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 63.8 points per game with a 38.9 percent clip from the field. The Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded 35.7 to 37.7 boards per game but have held a heavy advantage in turnovers as the team has forced 16.9 turnovers per game with only 11.7 miscues per game to rank fourth nationally.
 
KENNESAW STATE
After a three-point loss to Stetson Saturday, the Owls of Kennesaw State enter Tuesday's contest with a record of 7-12 and an Atlantic Sun Conference mark of 2-2. The team previously defeated Lipscomb and UNF before falling to Jacksonville and Stetson in its last two games. KSU is 3-3 in its last six games with a 6-3 mark in games played at home.
 
Head coach Nitra Perry's squad went 17-13 last season and was predicted to finish fourth in the conference this year. The squad returns seven players from last year's team, including senior Jasmine McAllister. McAllister leads the team with 10.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The 6-1 forward has produced seven double-doubles on the year and leads the team with a 48 percent shooting clip and 25 blocks on the year. In addition to McAllister's point contributions, the Owls boast three others averaging between nine and 10 points per game. Sophomore Kelly Dulkoski leads the team with 45 3-pointers made with an average of 9.6 points per game, while Aareon Smith has knocked down 36 long-range shots with 9.5 points per contest. Junior Deandrea Sawyers rounds out the top scorers with 9.0 points per outing.
 
As a team, the Owls average 60.2 points and allow foes to 64.7 points per game. The team ranks third in the Atlantic Sun with a shooting percentage of 39.4 and holds the second position in defensive numbers, holding opponents to a 31.7 percent clip overall with a 28.5 percent mark from 3-point range.  The Owls average 37.4 rebounds per game with 12.5 assists and 16.8 turnovers.
 
Through the first 19 games of the season, the Owls hold an official RPI of 296.
 
FGCU holds a 16-2 advantage over the Owls in 18 meetings since the 2007-08 season. The Eagles have won 10-straight games since a loss in 2011, including postseason wins in 2012 and 2013. The team defeated KSU 71-60 in the last meeting and is 6-2 in all-time meetings at Kennesaw's Convocation Center.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The nonconference slate put the Eagles up against seven top-100 teams and nine top-120 teams, giving the Green and Blue a strength of schedule rating of 91 according to RealTimeRPI. The team's resume includes four top-110 wins with victories at George Washington (RPI No. 33) and against Auburn (No. 63), Arizona (No. 84) and Western Michigan (No. 106). The losses to the top-tier teams came at the hands of Mississippi State (No.37), Ohio (No. 35) and Arkansas State (No. 55). FGCU also picked up a win over No. 118 Akron in the early goings.
 
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 357 career assists.
 
FGCU CAREER ASSISTS

1	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	419
2	DyTiesha Dunson	2012-16	357
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 266 blocked shots in her career and is climbing the A-Sun records this season.
 
ATLANTIC SUN CAREER BLOCKS

1	Jessica Bobbit	Belmont 05-09	290
2	Whitney Knight	2012-16	266
3	Katie Beth Pate	Lipscomb 03-07	264
4	Albena Branzova	FIU 91-95	250
5	Denise Hogie	CoC 91-93	248

 
On the offensive end, Knight currently stands third all-time in career points, 105 points from the second position on the list.
 
FGCU CAREER POINTS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	1,895
2	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	1,415
3	Whitney Knight	2012-16	1,310
4	Kelsey Jacobson	2008-12	1,251
5	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	1,185

 
 
Knight also ranks fourth in the FGCU record books with 173 career steals, 74 away from the program record.
 
FGCU CAREER STEALS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	247
2	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	197
3	Whitney Knight	2012-16	173
4	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	168
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 and is on pace to finish second in the record books.
 
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	584

 
 
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 9.5 3-pointers made her game and 189 long-range makes on the year. The Eagles' signature shot has produced 567 of the team's 1,277 points on the year. On the national stage, the total 3-pointers made rank ninth among the NCAA's 344 teams, while the makes per game mark also stands at ninth. The team has consistently ranked among the nation's top 3-point shooters and held the NCAA single-game record with 22 made on 41 attempts until just this week when Sacramento State hit 25. The Eagles led the nation during the 2012-13 season with 342 long-range makes and followed with 319 in the 2013-14 season. That mark 342 now stands as the third-best performance in NCAA history. The team also sank 10.7 3-pointers per game in that season, an average that also stands as the third-best overall mark.
 
UP NEXT
Following the Tuesday matchup in Kennesaw, the team will head to Jacksonville for a Saturday, Jan. 30 game against UNF. Tipoff against the Ospreys is set for 2 p.m.
 
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 361-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.5 with a mark of 135-13 (91 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 71-1 record in conference play in the last five 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 422-98 (81.1 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.
 
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.