FORT MYERS, Fla. – In its 2016-17 home opener, the FGCU women's basketball team (2-1) smothered FIU (0-2) in a dominating 89-42 victory. The win builds upon a remarkable home record for the Eagles, who are 13-2 all-time in home openers since the team's inaugural season in 2002.
 
FGCU outscored the Panthers in all four quarters of the game including an astounding 20-to-8 in the final period of play. The Eagles' 47-point win marks the largest margin of victory for the team since downing St. Thomas 86-33 last December. The win was truly a team effort for the Green and Blue, who tallied points from 10 different players on the roster.
 
"I'm really excited about the progress we made with this game," said head coach Karl Smesko. "One thing I'll be talking to the team about is how much fun is it when you share the ball and work together. It was fun to watch, and I'm sure it was fun to play. I was really happy to see so many different kids contributing, especially China (Dow) who gave us a huge spark off the bench. In practice last week, she was really trying to do things the right way, and now it's translated into the game. I hope she sees how valuable that can be."
 
Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville/Middle Tennessee State) produced arguably the most complete game of any play on the court tonight. The junior transfer was one of four Eagles to post double-digit points, and contributed defensively with seven rebounds and five steals – the same amount the entire Panthers team combined. 
 
As a unit, FGCU tallied 17 steals on the night, the most by an Eagles team since 2014 when the Green and Blue collected 17 against USC Upstate. Freshman Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman) matched Dow with five steals of her own and was a monster on the boards with a team-high 12 rebounds.
 
Offensively, newcomer Erica Nelson (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee Summit North HS/Johnson County CC) led the way for the Eagles with 21 points. Haley Laughter (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day School) followed closely behind with 17, draining five threes on the night.
 
For a team that features nine newcomers and just one returning starter, chemistry didn't seem to be an issue for the Eagles in tonight's game. FGCU shot 47.1 percent and held the Panthers to a 30.0 percent clip from the floor.
 
"I think they enjoy being around each other, and with so many new kids, that's something you have to worry about," said Smesko. "We've always had really good team chemistry, and then you add someone like Rose (Julien) – everybody loves Rose. Erica has a great smile and sense of humor and enjoys playing basketball. We've got a number of kid that we've added who really love to play basketball, so that makes every practice a little bit better. We spend a lot of time together, and that makes it more enjoyable because we like being around each other and we enjoy what we do."
 
At home for the first time this season, the Eagles fed off the crowd's energy right from the start. Just two minutes into the game, sophomore sharpshooter Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) knocked down the first three-pointer for FGCU, which totaled 14 on the night. The quarter ended at 18-7 after Dow drained one from behind the arc.
 
The Eagles doubled the Panthers points in the second quarter scoring 24 points to FIU's 12. Nelson scored four points in the final seconds of the half to increase the score to 42-19 before the teams hit the locker rooms.
 
FGCU topped the 50-point mark early in the third quarter after Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS/Chipola College) racked up five points in a matter of 37 seconds, which set off a 12-2 Eagles run.
 
The Green and Blue entered the final quarter with a 35-point advantage over FIU. Coach Smesko subbed in freshmen Nasrin Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS), Morgan Meacham (Oklahoma City, Okla./Heritage Hall HS) and Samantha Kisiel (Evergreen, Colo./Evergreen HS), who saw action for the first time as an Eagle. Meacham finished with a team-high two blocks, while Ulel added a steal. The team ended the game with 10-straight points as redshirt sophomore Tayler Goodall (Columbus, Ind./Columbus HS) threw down a final three-pointer with 1:07 left to play.
 
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 event will mark the first-ever meeting between these two teams.
 
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 380-74 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 441-101 (81.4 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.