FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU women's basketball team (9-2) will close out a three-game home stand with a 2 p.m. matchup against Ave Maria on Sunday in Alico Arena.

GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU is coming off a 70-64 upset of #20 Kentucky on Friday. In that game, Rosemarie Julien scored a game-high 23 points, while Lisa Zderadicka added 13 points. In fact, Zderadicka (Vienna, Austria/HAK Korneuburg), who began her career at Houston Baptist, eclipsed 600 points in her NCAA career. On top of that, Taylor Gradinjan scored eight points to move past Courtney Chihill (1,016, 2008-12) for eighth place on the program's career scoring list in the Division-I era. She now has 1,018 points and next up is Stephanie Haas (1,135, 2012-16).

In addition to Zderadicka's 600th NCAA point and Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) reaching 1,000, Julien (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast HS) recently eclipsed 500 points in her FGCU career, and China Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville) surpassed 750 career NCAA points after starting her career at Middle Tennessee.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday will be the third all-time meeting between FGCU and Ave Maria, both of which came within the past three seasons. FGCU won 102-54 on Nov. 23, 2014 and 101-34 on Dec. 4 of last year. Both games were played in Alico Arena.

In the first matchup, Gradinjan produced a then career-high 16 points to lead five players in double figure scoring. Current FGCU coaching staff members Jenna Cobb and Stephanie Haas each scored 11 points.

Last year, Erica Nelson (Kansas City, Mo./Lee Summit North HS) poured in 18 points, while Jessica Cattani (Muskego, Wis./Muskego HS) (16) and Dow (14) also scored in double figures. Julien added nine, and Gradinjan had eight. All 12 players who saw time in the game scored at least two points. The most impressive note from that game, perhaps, is that FGCU outscored Ave Maria 27-0 in the third quarter.

SCOUTING AVE MARIA
Ave Maria (10-1) enters the game receiving votes in the latest NAIA coaches poll. They entered this weekend undefeated before falling 84-51 to Southeastern on Saturday. The Gyrenes are led by Lauren Gillingham (14.2 PPG, 10 RPG) and Sarah Miller (13.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG), who are both averaging double-doubles. The duo also leads the team with a combined 87 assists, led by 58 from Gillingham. Mallory Burton, who led Ave Maria with 14 points in the loss against Southeastern, checks in third in scoring at 9.3 PPG.

Despite the 10-1 record, Ave Maria has three losses in exhibition play to Lynn (65-55), Flagler (101-54) and Saint Leo (65-56).

NEXT UP
Following Sunday's game, FGCU will hit the road for one game to face Chattanooga at 1 p.m. next Sunday. After that, the Eagles will return home for home for seven straight beginning with the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Classic Dec. 20-21.

RAINING THREES
FGCU has now made 4,542 3-pointers in 15+ seasons for an average of 9.14 per game. The Eagles are riding a 381-game streak with at least one three-ball and have made a 3-pointer in 496 of 497 games in program history. In the team's 94-55 win over Abilene Christian this past Sunday, the team made a program-record tying 22 3-pointers, which was also just three shy of the NCAA single game record.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the women's basketball program, follow @FGCU_WBB on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook at /FGCUWBB.

COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko rallied the 2016-17 Eagles to their seventh-straight 25-win campaign, which culminated in the team's fourth NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons of eligibility. The seven-time ASUN Coach of the Year was named the espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year in 2015-16 following a run that witnessed the Eagles finish a best-ever 33-6. Over a five-year stretch starting in 2011-12, FGCU racked up four ASUN seasons with a perfect record and capped the run with back-to-back 30 plus win seasons. In 2014-15, the team earned its first top-25 ranking and another NCAA Tournament trip as a seven seed, where FGCU won its first ever NCAA Division-I Tournament game against No. 10 Oklahoma State. With 26 wins in 2016-17, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 13-straight 20-win seasons.  He maintains a record of 413-84 (.831) at FGCU, including a 160-15 (.914) mark in ASUN play. Over the past six seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 93-3 (.969) record in conference play. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. He holds a career head coaching record of 474-111 (.810). 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.

TOYS FOR TOTS
The FGCU Athletics Department, FGCU Police Department, Lee County Sheriff's Office and Heroes Unlimited have teamed up to participate in a holiday toy drive. New, unwrapped toys are being collected and will be delivered to the Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida on Friday, Dec. 23. Collection boxes have been placed in the lobbies of Alico Arena, UPD and the FGCU Family Resource Center until Wednesday, Dec. 20. No toy is too small, and all toys will be wrapped prior to delivery.