FGCU (12-4) vs Stetson (9-5)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 357-71 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 418-98 (80.8%)
Stetson Head Coach: Lynn Bria | Charleston (W.V.) '90 | 8th Season at Stetson: 140-100 (58.3%) | 21^st Season as Head Coach: 293-313 (48.4%)
When: Saturday, Jan. 9 | 4 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch: ESPN3 with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call
Stats: via Statbroadcast
All-Time Meetings: FGCU leads 16-3 with a five-game win streak
Game Notes: FGCU  |  Stetson
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – As the Atlantic Sun Regular Season Champions in each of the last five seasons, the FGCU women's basketball team begins another exciting conference season Saturday, Jan. 9 against in-state rival Stetson University. Tipoff against the Hatters is set for 4 p.m. at Alico Arena.
 
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 J. Webb Horton 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 blue to the game for a 'Blue 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.
 
QUICK HITS:
• FGCU's 144 3-pointers made this season rank fourth nationally, just 18 behind national leader W. Illinois' 162. Only Sacramento State (154) and DePaul (149) stand between FGCU and the Leathernecks.
• 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 16-3 all-time against the Hatters and are riding a five-game win streak since falling in the 2013 A-Sun Championship. The team has pulled out three two-point wins with two in overtime in that span, but defeated the Hatters 61-39 in DeLand in the last meeting.
• FGCU is 131-13 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 70-1 in A-Sun games played at Alico Arena. The team has won 61-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 begin Atlantic Sun Conference play after compiling a record of 12-4 in the highly-competitive nonconference season. The team has won five-straight games, including a neutral-site win over the Pac-12's Arizona and a home victory against the SEC's Auburn. The team defeated Hartford 64-44 last weekend to conclude nonconference action. With the nonconference success, the team currently holds an official RPI of 51.
 
Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 15.8 points per game through the season's first 16 games. Atwater is adding 5.6 rebounds per contest with 26 total steals and 55 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 10.8 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 76 of the team's 3-point shots with Gradinjan topping the team with a 40.2 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 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in just 24.3 minutes on the court through seven 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 6-1 record since her return.
 
Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 70 assists and has added 6.2 points in a team-high 33.8 minutes per game. She has turned the ball over just 29 times and tops the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.41.
 
As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 63.8 points per game with a 39.2 percent clip from the field. The Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded 34.6 to 38.2 boards per game but have held a heavy advantage in turnovers as the team has forced 17.2 turnovers per game with only 12.4 miscues per game to rank 11th nationally.

STETSON
The Eagles welcome the Stetson Hatters to Alico Arena for the 20th meeting between the in-state rivals, who have finished among the top two in the A-Sun standings in each of the last four seasons. The Eagles have won each of the last five meetings between the two teams but three of the last four have been decided by two points with two needing overtime to determine a winner.
 
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson opens 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference play after going 9-5 in the nonconference slate. The Hatters started the season with a win over Trinity Baptist and have since earned notable wins against UCF, UNC Wilmington, Georgia Southern and Hampton with losses to Georgia, Minnesota, Boise State, Georgia State and Tennessee. With the nonconference results, Stetson holds an official RPI of 175.
 
After going 23-8 with an early exit from the A-Sun Championship on a loss to Northern Kentucky last season, the Hatters entered the 2015-16 slate ranked second in the preseason poll. The Hatters return just one starter from last year's team but have outscored foes by nearly 10 points per game in the early goings. This year's team averages 70.1 points per contest and has allowed opponents to 60.6 points per game. The Hatters lead the A-Sun with a shooting percentage of 43.9 percent and have limited opponents to a clip of 37.5 percent. Stetson has made 6.4 3-pointers an outing with a success rate of 29.8 from 3-point range and leads the league with a 74.9 percent mark from the free throw line. Stetson pulls down 37.1 rebounds per contest, an exact match to its opponents and records 8.9 steals to help force 16.1 turnovers per game.
 
Junior Brianti Saunders leads all players with 18.9 points per game. She tops the league with 66 made shots on 76 attempts from the charity stripe and has dished out 39 assists through the team's 14 games so far. Juniors Breana Bey and Aisha Turner also contribute double figures with 12.4 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Bey paces the team and tops the A-Sun with a shooting percentage of 56.3, while three other Hatters have shot over 45 percent this season. Bey also tops the team with 8.1 rebounds per game and 12 total blocks. Turner has contributed a team-high 53 assists with 31 steals.
 
Head Coach Lynn Bria holds a record of 140-100 in eight seasons with the Hatters. She has guided Stetson to five-straight 20-win seasons but holds a record of 3-16 against the Eagles in her tenure.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
FGCU holds a 16-3 advantage over the Hatters since their first meeting in 2008. Since falling to Stetson in the 2013 A-Sun Championship, the Eagles have won each of the last five meetings, including a 61-39 victory in DeLand last February. The team holds a 9-0 advantage in games played at Alico Arena and has outscored Stetson by an average of 10.7 points per game in the 19 previous 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 third in program history with 335 career assists. She stands just 84 away from the FGCU program record.
 
FGCU CAREER ASSISTS

1	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	419
2	Megan Jones	2002-05	338
3	DyTiesha Dunson	2012-16	335
	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 17 more points.
 
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	1,234
5	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	1,185

 
Knight also ranks fourth in the FGCU record books with 158 career steals, just 89 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	158
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	557

 
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 9.0 3-pointers made her game and 144 long-range makes on the year. The Eagles' signature shot has produced 432 of the team's 1,021 points on the year. On the national stage, the total 3-pointers ranks fourth among the NCAA's 344 teams, while the makes per game mark stands at 12th. 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/2016/1/8/V_STETSON_JAN_9.pdf.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles continue the Atlantic Sun slate next weekend with another pair of games at Alico Arena. FGCU will host USC Upstate on Saturday, Jan. 16 with a 4 p.m. tipoff and 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 357-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.4 with a mark of 131-13 (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 418-98 (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.