Matchup: FGCU (1-1), FIU (0-1)
When: Tuesday, Nov. 15 | 7 PM | Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Links: Video | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
Coaches: Karl Smesko: (15th season @ FGCU – 379-74; 18th overall 440-101) | Tiara Malcom: (1st season @ FIU – 0-1; same overall)
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – After splitting a pair of road contests against Quinnipiac and Hartford, the FGCU women's basketball team (1-1) will take on FIU (0-1) in its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The Panthers are a familiar opponent for the Eagles, as these Florida foes have faced each other every season since 2009. FGCU has downed FIU in all seven of the teams' past meetings, including an 81-53 win in Miami last year.
 
ESPN3 is providing the live broadcast for the game. Live stats will also be available from StatBroadcast. For those looking to attend the match and support your FGCU Eagles, tickets can be purchased online at FGCUTickets.com or by calling the university's ticket office at 239-590-7145.
 
FGCU BASKETBALL CELEBRATES 2015-16
The FGCU women's basketball team made history last year, with their first-ever appearance in the WNIT Championship. The Green and Blue finished the 2016 WNIT with a 5-1 record, including wins over Bethune-Cookman, Tulane, Wake Forest, Hofstra and then Michigan in front of a record crowd, before traveling to South Dakota for the championship.  Prior to Friday's game we will drop a banner to recognize the 2015-16 team for that accomplishment.
 
Last year, the FGCU men's basketball team also produced an extraordinary season, capturing an ASUN Tournament Championship and a victory in the NCAA Tournament. We will be commemorating these accomplishments at halftime during Friday's event. First, Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh will present members of the team with their 2016 NCAA Tournament rings. Next, we will be unveiling two banners to display the team's achievements.
 
PROMOTIONS
Fans are encouraged to wear white to Friday's game.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU entered 2016-17 as winners of six-straight ASUN regular-season championships after compiling its fourth perfect regular season in five years in 2015-16. Led by the 2016 espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year Karl Smesko, last year's team finished its historic season with a flawless ASUN record of 14-0. The club won a program-record five games in the WNIT – including at home over Michigan in the semifinals in front of a standing-room-only program record 4,633 fans – before falling just short in the championship game at South Dakota.
 
The Eagles lost eight seniors to graduation from last year's team, but brought back one of the nation's best shooters in Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School). In addition to Gradinjan, returners Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School), Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wis./Muskego HS), Tayler Goodall (Columbus, Ind./Columbus HS) and Sydnei McCaskill (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) saw playing time during 2015-16.
 
In its first game of the season FGCU swapped leads seven times with the Bobcats, but ultimately failed to take care of the ball, which resulted in a 56-66 loss to Quinnipiac. Under the leadership Smesko, the Green and Blue were able to right the ship when the Eagles square off with Hartford two days later. FGCU improved their communication and shot 11-of-33 from behind the arc after going 3-for-25 against the Bobcats en route to a 70-63 victory.
 
After the Eagles' first weekend of play, Laughter leads the team in points averaging 14.5 per game, but newcomer Erica Nelson (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee Summit North HS/Johnson County CC) is quickly rising on the stat sheet with 13.0 points per game and a team-high eight assists.
 
Nelson is one of several first-time Eagles expected to make an immediate impact for the Green and Blue. Additions Rosemarie Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS/Chipola College) and Jordin Alexander (Fisher, Ind./ Hamilton Southeastern HS/Brown) each averaged over 20 minutes per game last weekend, with freshman Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman) trailing closely behind at 19.0.
 
SCOUTING FIU
After a 5-26 year, the Panthers entered the 2016-17 season led by former assistant Tiara Malcom who was promoted to head coach on April 8, 2016.
 
While under new leadership, much of the Panthers roster remains the same, as only four of the FIU's 13 letterwinners were lost. Included in the squad's returners are 2015 Conference USA Freshman of the Year Keandre'a Pound, who missed all of last season, and seniors Janka Hegedus and Tianah Alvarado who both averaged more than 10 points per game in 2015-16. Three newcomers complete the Panther's 2016-17 unit.
 
In its first game of the new season, FIU fell 52-69 to in-state rivals, UCF. The Panthers challenged the Knights, forcing multiple turnovers in the game, but were unable to capitalize on offensive opportunities, finishing with a 38.3 field-goal percentage.
 
Returning Sophomore Kristian Hudson led the team with 16 points and was complimented by Pound who racked up 13 of her own. Although she missed last season, Pound led all players with 36 minutes played.
 
UP NEXT
Once again, the Eagles will have a quick turnaround as the team heads to Greeley, Colo. to square off against Northern Colorado on Friday, Nov. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for noon. This is the first time in program history that these two teams will meet.
 
SMESKO
Head coach Karl Smesko earned his sixth-consecutive ASUN Coach of the Year award with a successful 2015-16 campaign and was named the espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year. Under his direction, the team has compiled two-straight 30-win seasons with four perfect ASUN regular-season slates in the last five years. The team earned its first top-25 ranking and a third NCAA Tournament appearance as a seven seed in 2014-15 where FGCU won its first ever DI NCAA Tournament game against No. 10 Oklahoma State. With 30 wins and counting this year, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 12-straight 20+ win seasons.  He maintains a record of 379-74 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.7 with a mark of 145-13 (91.7 W%) in ASUN contests and has led the team to a 81-1 record in conference play in the last five seasons.  The six-time ASUN 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 440-101 (81.3 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.