No. 1 FGCU (28-4) vs No. 2 Jacksonville (21-10)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Kent State '93 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 373-71 (83.9%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 434-98 (81.5%)
Jacksonville Head Coach: Yolette McPhee-McCuin | Rhode Island '94  | 3rd Season at Jacksonville:  46-44 (51.1%) When: Sunday, March 13 | 2 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch: ESPN3 with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton
Stats: via StatBroadcast.com
All-Time Series: FGCU leads 18-1 since first meeting in 2008; Eagles have won 18-straight since loss in 2008
Atlantic Sun Championship Bracket: available here
Game Notes: FGCU | Jacksonville
 
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the fifth-straight year, the top-seeded FGCU women's basketball team will play in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Final. The Eagles host No. 2 Jacksonville Sunday, Mar. 13 in a 2 p.m. tipoff at Alico Arena. The Green and Blue will look for a fourth A-Sun Championship win in five years of postseason eligibility and would secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win.
 
The Green and Blue secured its sixth-straight A-Sun Regular Season Championship and its seventh title in eight seasons in the league with a 14-0 mark in conference play. The unblemished conference record stands as the team's fourth in five years.
 
General-admission tickets to see the top-seeded Eagles take on the Hatters are just $15 and are available via FGCUTickets.com or through the FGCU Ticket Office. FGCU students with a valid Eagle ID are admitted free of charge, while students from other A-Sun institutions are $5. Complete information can be found at FGCUTickets.com.
 
Fan are encouraged to wear white to the game for a 'White Out'. Those who cannot be in attendance Sunday can watch the game live on ESPN3 with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call. Live stats will be available through FGCUStats.com, while fans can also find live, in-game updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_WBB.
 
QUICK HITS:
-RAINING THREES: FGCU's 304 total 3-pointers made this season ranks fifth nationally, while the 9.5 makes per game ranks seventh among the nation's best.
-The Eagles have held opponents to just 48.6 points per game this season for the nation's second-best defensive mark. The team also ranks among the top-20 in field goal percentage defense by holding foes to a 35.2 percent clip.
-The Green and Blue is the nation's only team to rank among the top-10 in 3-point shooting and the top-50 in team defense.
-With a 14-0 mark in A-Sun play, FGCU is one of just six Division I teams to finish conference play without a loss, joining Connecticut, South Carolina, Colorado State, UC Riverside and Notre Dame.
- The Eagles are 145-13 in A-Sun contests since 2007 with just one regular-season loss since the 2011-12 campaign for a record of 81-1 and a win percentage of .987 in that span. The team boasts four perfect seasons in the last five years has won six-straight regular season championships with seven overall since joining the A-Sun. Currently, the team is undefeated against conference foes since Feb. 1, 2014.
-The 45-game win streak against Atlantic Sun Conference foes ranks second in the nation, behind only Connecticut's 78-game run. The team previously won 44-straight A-Sun games with a streak that spanned from Feb. 28, 2011 to the Feb. 1, 2014 loss.
-The team's 21-game win streak this season stands fourth nationally, behind Connecticut (69), Colorado State (28) and Notre Dame (24).
-FGCU boasts a 71-game win streak in home games played against Atlantic Sun Conference foes and holds a 92.8 percent win percentage at Alico Arena all-time.
-In the final espnW ranking of the year, FGCU stands as the nation's No. 1 Mid-Major team.
-Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) became the seventh player in A-Sun to repeat as Player of the Year when she picked up the league's top honor last week.
-Knight took over as the program's second all-time scorer at the end of the regular season, passing Adrianne McNally and now stands at 1,469 career points. She also took over as the second all-time rebounder in Friday's game and now has 672 career rebounds.
-The Eagles also picked up the league's highest academic honor this season with Stephanie Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) earning her second-straight Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
 
The Eagles continue the postseason with an overall record of 28-4. The team extended the win streak to 21 games with a victory against Stetson in the A-Sun Semifinal and is unbeaten since before the Christmas holiday.  With the nonconference success and the unblemished 14-0 conference slate, the team currently holds an official RPI of 64 with a nonconference strength of schedule rating of 61. The Eagles continue a quest for a fourth conference title in the last five years with Sunday's championship game.
 
ATLANTIC SUN HONORS
In the days leading up to the A-Sun Tournament, the league announced its major award winners, highlighted by the Green and Blue. Knight was honored as A-Sun Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season, while classmate DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) earned the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year nod and head coach Karl Smesko was named Coach of the Year for the seventh time in eight seasons.
 
In addition to the major awards, Knight and classmate Kaneisha Atwater (Fort-Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) were both unanimously selected to the All-Conference First Team. Knight earned her third First Team accolade, with Atwater taking the honor for the second-straight year.
 
On the academic side, Haas was named the A-Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row, while Dunson and Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) joined Haas on the All-Academic Team.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The nonconference slate put the Eagles up against nine top-125 teams this season to push the team to a strength of schedule rating of 61. The slate included eight teams that made the postseason last year with seven programs that finished the 2014-15 season among the top-100.
 
The Eagles compiled a record of 6-3 against the top-125 teams with notable victories at George Washington (21) and Akron (123) as well as against Auburn (57), Quinnipiac (86), Harvard (93) and Arizona (122). The triumph over GW in Washington, D.C. stands as the team's strongest win of the season as it was a true road game played without reigning A-Sun Player of the Year Whitney Knight. The Eagles were also without Knight during losses to top-50 teams Ohio (42) and Arkansas State (43), while the senior played limited minutes on doctor's orders when the team battled No. 14 Mississippi State (24) to a 65-60 finish in Puerto Rico.
 
WITH WHITNEY
The 2016 A-Sun Player of the Year missed the first eight games of the season while battling a foot injury but picked up right where she left off upon return with 16 points and 10 rebounds at Providence on Dec. 12. In 23 games on the court, Knight has led all players with 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She also tops the team and the league with 71 blocks in her 23 games played. During her recovery, the team faced tough competition in Ohio, Akron, Arkansas State, George Washington and Harvard and amassed a 5-3 record to start the year. With Knight, the team is 22-1 with a 21-game win streak and has outscored opponents by an average of 63.4 to 46.3 points per game.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
Atwater currently tops FGCU's three double-figure scorers at 13.9 points scored per game through the regular season. Atwater has added 5.8 rebounds per contest with 92 assists and 43 steals. Since her return from injury, Knight has added 12.7 points per game with a team-high 6.7 rebounds. Knight has blocked 71 shots so far this season with 59 shots made from the perimeter. Gradinjan has also contributed double-digits for the Eagles with 9.9 points per contest. The strong shooter has made a team-best 77 3-pointers this season and ranks third in the league.
 
Dunson has facilitated the offense with 144 assists on the year. Dunson's assist to turnover ratio of 3.20 ranks fifth nationally.
 
As a unit, the Eagles have scored 64.2 points per game, while holding opponents to just 48.6 points per contest. The defensive mark ranks second nationally, only behind Connecticut. FGCU has converted 38.3 percent of shots with 9.5 makes from 3-point range per game. The Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded 37.1 to 37.3 boards per game but hold a heavy advantage in turnovers as the squad has forced 17 miscues per game with only 10.6 turnovers of its own. The margin of 6.2 ranks seventh nationally, while the limited number of turnovers is the country's second-best mark.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Eagles are known nationally for their success at home, but this season the team is excelling away from Southwest Florida as well. FGCU holds a 12-0 record in games played on the home court of its opponent with an average margin of victory of over 19 points. The team has held foes to just 49.2 points per game with a 35.5 percent clip from the floor. The road slate this year includes a win in Washington, D.C. over A-10 power George Washington (while Knight was out with injury). The Eagles are one of just three teams nationwide with an unblemished record on the road, joining Connecticut (14-0) and South Carolina (11-0).
 
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 since making the jump to Division I. 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 304 long-range makes on the year. The Eagles' signature shot has produced 912 of the team's 2,056 points on the year. On the national stage, the total 3-pointers made rank fifth among the NCAA's 349 teams, while the makes per game mark stands at seventh. 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.
 
THE JACKSONVILLE DOLPHINS
FGCU and Jacksonville shared the lead in the A-Sun standings to begin the year and finished as the league's top-two teams. The Dolphins compiled a league record of 11-3 with two losses to the Eagles and a five-point loss at Stetson and are 21-10 on the season after defeating Lipscomb and USC Upstate in the postseason. The team is 7-0 since an overtime loss in Jacksonville to the Eagles and holds an official RPI of 145 with a strength of schedule rating of 294.
 
The Dolphins average 66 points per game and rank third in the league and stand among the top-25 nationally with 53.9 points allowed per game. Their scoring margin of 12.1 points per contest sits just behind FGCU's scoring advantage in the league statistical standings. The Dolphins rank second in the league with a 42.3 percent clip from the floor and convert 31 percent of shots from long range. The 3-point shooting mark is similar to the Eagles', but the Dolphins attempt just 15 threes a game. JU pulls down 41.7 rebounds per game and tops the league with a rebound margin 9.2 boards per outing. The team's defensive efforts have led them to double-figure wins this season as the Dolphins rank among the nation's top-40 with 19.2 turnovers forced and 10.0 steals per game. The Dolphins also stand second in the league with 3.8 blocked shots per contest.
 
Yolett McPhee-McCuin's squad went 12-17 last season with a 6-8 mark in conference play but returned all five starters from last year's team and has seen strong production from Florida transfer Christin Mercer. Mercer is one of three double-figure scorers for JU and she leads the team with a 54.3 percent clip from the floor and scores 10.8 points per game off the bench. Junior Sherranda Reddick paces the team with 12.5 points per game and has dished out 60 assists with a team-high 62 3-pointers. Senior Briona Brown adds 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest, while last year's A-Sun Freshman of the Year Kayla Gordon produces 9.5 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game.
 
FGCU holds an 18-1 advantage over the Dolphins in 19 meetings since the 2007-08 season. The Eagles fell at Jacksonville 62-58 on Jan. 5, 2008 and have since picked up 18-straight wins against the Dolphins.
 
MILESTONES MOUNTING
With such an experienced squad, several players on the team hold and are within reach of program milestones.
 
Dunson leads the team and ranks second in program history with 409 career assists.
 
FGCU CAREER ASSISTS

1	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	419
2	DyTiesha Dunson	2012-16	409
3	Megan Jones	2002-05	338
4	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	335
5	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	333

 
Knight tops the FGCU record book with 305 blocked shots in her career and took over the top spot in the league records Saturday, Feb. 20.
                                                                                                                                                                           
ATLANTIC SUN CAREER BLOCKS

1	Whitney Knight	2011-16	305
2	Jessica Bobbit	Belmont 05-09	290
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 passed Adrianne McNally to move to second all-time with 21 points scored Feb. 20.
 
FGCU CAREER POINTS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	1,901
2	Whitney Knight	2011-16	1,469
3	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	1,415
4	Kelsey Jacobson	2008-12	1,263
5	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	1,185

 
Knight also ranks fourth in the FGCU record books with 194 career steals, five away from the second position in the record books.
 
FGCU CAREER STEALS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	249
2	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	199
3	Whitney Knight	2011-16	194
4	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	168
5	Brittany Kennedy	2011-13	148

 
Knight entered the 2015-16 season with 516 career rebounds and will continue to climb the FGCU records. She recently moved to second all-time in the record books, behind only Hansen.
 
FGCU CAREER REBOUNDS

1	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	887
2	Whitney Knight	2011-16	672
3	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	658
4	Robyn Swain	2002-04	640
5	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	603

 
Gluesing tops the squad with 133 games played through a four-year career. The senior matched Sarah Hansen's all-time appearances record in the Quarterfinal and became FGCU's all-time leader in Wednesday's semifinal game, while Haas and Meador also stand in the program's top-five.
 
FGCU CAREER APPEARANCES

1	Jaime Gluesing	2012-16	133
2	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	132
	Stephanie Haas	2012-16	132
4	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	128
	Katie Meador	2012-16	128

 
UP NEXT
With a win in Sunday's A-Sun Championship game, the Eagles will advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years of eligibility. The complete 64-team field will be announced Monday, Mar. 14 on ESPN at 7 p.m.
 
SMESKO
Head coach Karl Smesko earned his sixth-consecutive Atlantic Sun 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 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 last season last season. 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 27 wins and counting this year, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 12-straight 20+ win seasons.  He maintains a record of 373-71 at FGCU for a win percentage of 84.0 with a mark of 145-13 (91.7 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 81-1 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 434-98 (81.5 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.