FGCU (28-5) vs Bethune-Cookman (18-12)
FGCU Head Coach: Karl Smesko | Kent State '93 | 14^th Season at FGCU: 373-72 (83.9%) | 17^th Season as Head Coach: 434-99 (81.5%)
Bethune Cookman Coach: Vanessa Blair-Lewis | Mount St. Mary's '92  | 8th Season at Bethune-Cookman:  123-128 (49%) When: Friday, March 18 | 7 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
Watch: ESPN3 with Brice Zimmerman and J. Webb Horton
Stats: via StatBroadcast.com
All-Time Series: FGCU leads 4-0 since first meeting in 2008; Eagles won 91-46 in 2014
WNIT Bracket: available here
 
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – With its ninth postseason appearance in nine years, the FGCU women's basketball team will host Bethune-Cookman University Friday, Mar. 18 to begin the 2016 WNIT. Tipoff in the team's sixth WNIT appearance is set for 7 p.m at Alico Arena.
 
General-admission tickets to see the Eagles take on the Wildcats are just $10 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 institutions are $5. Complete information can be found at FGCUTickets.com.
 
Those who cannot be in attendance Friday can watch the game live on ESPN3 with Brice Zimmerman 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 311 total 3-pointers made this season ranks fifth nationally, while the 9.4 makes per game ranks seventh among the nation's best.
-The Eagles have held opponents to just 48.8 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.
-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.
-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 will enter the 2016 WNIT with a record of 28-5 on the season. The record includes a 21-game win streak, the unblemished conference mark and a 12-0 record in road games. In addition, the win total stands two games higher than any other team in the 64-team field.
 
FGCU secured its ninth-straight postseason appearance with a sixth-straight Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Championship. The Eagles went 14-0 in A-Sun action for their fourth perfect season in five years and earned the league's automatic bid to the WNIT with the regular season title. As the No. 1 seed, the team earned victories over No. 8 NJIT and No. 4 Stetson in the A-Sun Tournament before being upset by No. 2 Jacksonville University in Sunday's Championship Final. With a 56-54 win, Jacksonville earned the league's automatic bid the NCAA Tournament.
 
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 (23) and Akron (123) as well as against Auburn (57), Quinnipiac (87), Harvard (97) 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 (50) 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 24 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 22-2 and has outscored opponents by an average of 63.4 to 46.3 points per 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.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
Atwater currently tops FGCU's three double-figure scorers at 14.2 points scored per game through the regular season. Atwater has added 5.8 rebounds per contest with 94 assists and 45 steals. Since her return from injury, Knight has added 12.9 points per game with a team-high 6.7 rebounds. Knight has blocked 75 shots so far this season with 62 shots made from the perimeter. Gradinjan has also contributed double-digits for the Eagles with 9.8 points per contest. The strong shooter has made a team-best 78 3-pointers this season and ranks third in the league.
 
Dunson has facilitated the offense with 149 assists on the year. Dunson's assist to turnover ratio of 3.20 ranks fifth nationally.
 
As a unit, the Eagles have scored 63.9 points per game, while holding opponents to just 48.8 points per contest. The defensive mark ranks second nationally, only behind Connecticut. FGCU has converted 38.2 percent of shots with 9.4 makes from 3-point range per game. The Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded 37.6 to 36.8 boards per game but hold a heavy advantage in turnovers as the squad has forced 17 miscues per game with only 10.5 turnovers of its own. The margin of 6.0 ranks seventh nationally, while the limited number of turnovers is the country's second-best mark.
 
WNIT HISTORY
2016 marks FGCU's sixth appearance in the WNIT with its first since the 2013 season. FGCU fell 65-41 to Winthrop at Alico Arena in its last appearance. The Eagles are 3-5 all-time in WNIT games with wins over Drexel, George Washington and USF. The team advanced to the second round in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
 
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 9.4 3-pointers made her game and 311 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 BETHUNE-COOKMAN WILDCATS
Bethune-Cookman earned the MEAC's automatic bid to the WNIT and will make its first-ever postseason appearance Friday night. The Wildcats are 18-12 on the season and went 12-4 in conference play for their first regular season title. In nonconference play, B-CU faced several similar opponents to FGCU with Stetson, North Florida, Jacksonville and Florida Atlantic on the schedule. The Wildcats fell to Stetson, Jacksonville and FAU but picked up a 53-49 win at UNF in November. The team finished nonconference play at 6-8 with notable wins against Western Carolina, Georgia Southern and LIU Brooklyn. The Wildcats also split a pair of games against North Carolina A&T – who FGCU defeated to open the season.
 
The team is led by juniors Kendra Cooper and Kailyn Williams. Cooper - a junior guard - leads the team at 14.6 points per game and is the team's strongest long-range shooter. Cooper has converted 73 3-pointers this season at a rate of 37.6 percent. She has also added 37 steals in over 35 minutes on the court per game. Cooper was named Second Team All-MEAC to conclude the regular season.
 
At the post, the 6-5 Williams adds 12.1 points per game at a rate of 52.4 percent. Williams pulls down 9.1 rebounds per game and has swatted 105 shots this season to rank sixth nationally. The New Orleans native was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-MEAC First-Team honors.
 
The junior duo is complemented by senior Jasmine Knowles. Knowles adds 7.3 points per game and tops the team with 113 assists and 53 steals. She started 29 of 30 games this season and plays over 33 minutes a game.
 
In her eighth year, head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis earned her first MEAC Coach of the Year nod. 
 
FGCU and B-CU have faced off four times previously with the Green and Blue holding a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series. The Eagles are 2-0 in contests played at Alico Arena with a 32-point average margin of victory. In the last meeting, FGCU earned a 91-46 victory over the Wildcats in Daytona Beach. The team saw 12 different players score in the Dec. 2014 contest with now seniors Haas and Knight leading the way with 17 points.
 
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 414 career assists, just six away from becoming the all-time leader.
 
FGCU CAREER ASSISTS

1	Shannon Murphy	2007-11	419
2	DyTiesha Dunson	2012-16	414
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 309 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	309
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	1,486
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	680
3	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	658
4	Robyn Swain	2002-04	640
5	Courtney Chihil	2008-12	603

 
Gluesing tops the squad with 134 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 last Wednesday's semifinal game, while Haas and Meador also stand in the program's top-five.
 
FGCU CAREER APPEARANCES

1	Jaime Gluesing	2012-16	134
2	Stephanie Haas	2012-16	133
3	Sarah Hansen	2009-14	132
4	Katie Meador	2012-16	129
5	Adrianne McNally	2006-10	128

 
UP NEXT
With a win Friday, the Eagles will advance to the second round to play the winner of Wake Forest-Charlotte. The second round will take place Mar. 19-22 at campus sites. The location of FGCU's second-round game is to be determined and will be announced following Friday's contest.
 
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 373-72 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 434-99 (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.