FGCU (19-4 | 7-0 A-Sun) vs. UNF (6-16 | 2-5 A-Sun)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Walsh '97 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 364-71 (83.4%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 425-98 (80.8%)
UNF Head Coach: Darrick Gibbs | Wofford '00 | 1st Season at UNF: 6-16 (27.2%)
When: Saturday, Feb. 6 | 4 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch: ESPN3
Stats: via Statbroadcast
Game Series: FGCU leads 17-2 since first meeting in 2008
Game Notes: FGCU  |  UNF
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – With the second half of the Atlantic Sun Conference slate beginning, the FGCU women's basketball team hosts the University of North Florida Saturday, Feb. 6. Tipoff at Alico Arena is set for 4 p.m. as part of a double header with the men's team.
 
GAME DAY ACTION
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 red Saturday to raise awareness for heart disease and the American Heart Association. FGCU-branded red T-shirts which have been on sale the past several weeks have sold out, with a portion of those proceeds going directly to the American Heart Association. FGCU Athletics officials will present representatives from the American Heart Association with a $5,000 check at Saturday's double header.
 
QUICK HITS:
• RAINING THREES: FGCU's 218 total 3-pointers made this season ranks sixth nationally with the 9.5 makes per game standing as the nation's eighth-best mark.
• In addition to the 3-pointers, FGCU ranks among the nation's best in scoring defense (5th), turnovers per game (3rd), turnover margin (10th) and assist to turnover ratio (8th).  
• The Eagles have held opponents to just 50.3 points per game overall this season and have allowed only 41.6 points per game against #ASunWBB foes.
• Since Whitney Knight's return from injury, FGCU has compiled a record of 13-1 with its only blemish as a five-point loss to No. 12 Mississippi State.
• FGCU is 138-13 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 has won five-straight regular season championships with six overall since joining the A-Sun. Currently, the team is undefeated in conference action since Feb. 1, 2014 and has won 66-straight games against A-Sun opponents at Alico Arena.
• In the latest espnW rankings, FGCU stands as the nation's No. 1 Mid-Major team.
• FGCU is 17-2 against UNF since the first meeting in 2008. The team has won 12-straight games against the Ospreys since a loss in 2010.
 
The Eagles continue Atlantic Sun Conference play at Alico Arena with an overall record of 19-4 and an unblemished conference mark of 7-0. The team extended the win streak to 12 games with a win over previously undefeated Jacksonville Thursday. With the nonconference success and another strong start to the conference slate, the team currently holds an official RPI of 69.
 
Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westwood High School/VCU) leads the team with an average of 14.7 points per game through the season's first 23 games. Atwater is also contributing 5.7 rebounds per contest and has added 76 assists and a team-best 34 steals.
 
Since her return from injury, senior Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) has averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 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 13-1 record since her return. She leads the team with 34 steals and 40 blocks and has knocked down 34 3-pointers in just 14 games.

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 8.3 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. Laughter and Gradinjan have combined for 94 of the team's 3-pointers and currently rank as two of top long-range shooters in the conference.
 
Senior captain DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) has dished out a team-high 108 assists and has added 5.8 points in a team-high 33.1 minutes per game. She has turned the ball over just 38 times and tops the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.84. The assist to turnover mark also ranks 10th nationally.
 
As a team, the Green and Blue have averaged 64.3 points per game with a 38.6 percent clip from the field. The Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded 37.5 to 36.4 boards per game but have held a heavy advantage in turnovers as the team has forced 17 turnovers per game with only 11.2 miscues per game to rank third nationally. The Eagle defense has stifled opponents this season, holding foes to just 50.3 points a game overall and just 41.2 points per game in league play.
 
UNF
Under the direction of first year head coach Darrick Gibbs, the Ospreys of UNF are 6-16 on the season with a 2-5 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The team shot over 54 percent to earn a win over Lipscomb and picked up a double-figure victory over NJIT before falling in its last three games, including last Saturday's 65-38 loss to FGCU and a 20-point loss at Stetson Thursday night. After being selected to finish eighth in the league, the team holds sixth place through the first half of league play.
 
UNF returned no starters from last year's squad that went 11-19 with a 2-12 record in A-Sun play. Senior Kadesia Johnson stands as the team's top returner after starting seven games last season and scoring 3.1 points per game. This season, Johnson produces 6.7 points per game with a 40.3 percent clip from the floor.
 
As a team, the Ospreys score 55.9 points and allow 65.8 points per contest with a 36.9 percent clip from the floor. UNF boasts just two players shooting over 40 percent with no player above the 36 percent mark from long distance. The team has combined for a 30.8 percent clip from 3-point range with 7.1 makes per game to sit just behind the Eagles in the league rankings. UNF turns the ball over 17.7 times per contests and has been outrebounded by a margin of 6.1 boards per game.
 
Junior college transfer Claire Ioannidis leads the squad with an average of 15.1 points per game and tops the league with 61 3-pointers made in her first season with the Ospreys. Sophomore Sierra Shepherd adds 12.5 points per outing with a team-best 43.8 percent shooting performance and has paced the team with 83 assists and 42 steals. Defensively, Kadesia Johnson tops the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, with Karrah Johnson swatting 20 shots so far this season.
 
After the team's first 22 games, the Ospreys hold an official RPI of 302.
 
The Eagles – who defeated UNF 65-38 just last week – hold an overall record of 17-2 all-time against the Ospreys. FGCU fell at UNF in 2010 and has since compiled a win streak of 12 games.
 
ATLANTIC SUN STANDINGS
The Eagles earned a big-win over Jacksonville Thursday night to remain atop the conference standings.
 

FGCU	7-0	19-4	W12
Jacksonville	6-1	14-8	L1
USC Upstate	5-2	13-8	W1
Stetson	4-3	13-8	W1
Kennesaw State	3-4	8-14	L1
North Florida	2-5	6-16	L3
NJIT	1-6	4-18	W1
Lipscomb	0-7	3-19	L16

 
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 153 according to RealTimeRPI. The team's resume includes five top-120 wins with victories at George Washington (RPI No. 37) and against Auburn (No. 62), Arizona (No. 94), Akron (No. 108) and Western Michigan (No. 119). The losses to the top-tier teams came at the hands of Mississippi State (No.29), Ohio (No. 32) and Arkansas State (No. 53).
 
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 373 career assists.
 
FGCU CAREER ASSISTS

1	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	419
2	DyTiesha Dunson	2012-16	373
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 274 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	274
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, 84 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	1,342
4	Kelsey Jacobson	2008-12	1,251
5	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	1,185

 
Knight also ranks fourth in the FGCU record books with 174 career steals, 73 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	176
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	597

 
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 218 long-range makes on the year. The Eagles' signature shot has produced 654 of the team's 1,478 points on the year. On the national stage, the total 3-pointers made rank fifth among the NCAA's 344 teams, while the makes per game mark stands at eighth. 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 recently 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
The Eagles will travel back to Jacksonville next week for a Wednesday night bout against the Dolphins at Swisher Gymnasium before traveling to NJIT and USC Upstate next weekend.
 
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 364-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.5 with a mark of 138-13 (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 425-98 (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.