CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Seeded at 13, the FGCU women's basketball team will make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons tomorrow when they face in-state foe Miami at 4:00 p.m. from the Watsco Center.
 
FAN INFORMATION
FGCU is encouraging fans who attend the game to wear blue. To inquire about tickets, please contact the FGCU ticket office online at FGCUTickets.com or by calling 239-590-7145.
 
Additional information regarding the team's send-off from its hotel and any other final game-day changes will be communicated via FGCUAthletics.com on Thursday and disseminated via a press release and social media channels.
 
EAGLE NOTABLES
Going Dancing: FGCU earned it's fourth NCAA Tournament berth in six seasons with a win over Stetson in the ASUN Championship. The Eagles are 1-3 in DI NCAA tournament appearances all-time. Their lone victory came in 2015 when FGCU knocked off Oklahoma State. The Eagles look to become only the second ASUN program in league history to secure two NCAA Tournament victories.
 
Dow's Day: Junior transfer China Dow (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville/Middle Tennessee State) had a career-day with 31 points and 10 boards to help FGCU formulate a comeback in the final five minutes of the ASUN Championship game vs. Stetson. She scored 10 points in the last six minutes of play to help the Eagles swing from a nine-point deficit to a seven-point lead. Her 31 points in the Finals ties for the most points ever by an Eagle in the postseason.
 
Crushing the Boards: With 248 rebounds on the season and at least one game left to go, true freshman Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman) is on pace become the first Eagles player in program history to collect 1,000 career rebounds. Adderly reached double-digit boards insix out of her last eight games and has recorded a team-high three double-doubles on the season. She averaged 11 rebounds per game in ASUN tournament play with a high of 13 against Jacksonville.
 
Senior Standout: Senior transfer Jordin Alexander (Fisher, Ind./ Hamilton Southeastern HS/Brown) has become one of FGCU's most productive players down the stretch. The Indiana-native improved her production from 6.4 points per game in the non-conference to 11.1 points per game against league competition. Alexander averaged 12.7 points per game in the ASUN Tournament and fell just shy of collecting the program's first triple-double with 14 points, 9 boards and
9 assists in the Eagles' ASUN Championship win.
 
Rolling On The Road: The Eagles have won 20 of their last 22 games entering the tournament and hold a record of 9-4 on the road this season.
 
Program Milestones: With the FGCU men's basketball team battling FSU in the first round of the men's NCAA Tournament, 2017 will mark the first time that both the men's and women's basketball programs have qualified for the NCAA in the same year.
 
FGCU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Year: Round, Opponent: Result
2010: First, 5 St Bonaventure: L, 65-72
2014: First, 5 Oklahoma State: L, 60-61 OT
2015: First, 10 Oklahoma State: W, 67-75
2015: Second, 2 Florida State: L, 47-65
 
SCOUTING MIAMI
> Miami – ranked #16 in the nation this week – finished seventh in the ACC with a 106 conference record and defeated three top-25 teams as the Hurricanes are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven years.
 
> The Hurricanes are 5-11 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. After defeating Florida State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, 56-54, Miami lost to Duke in the semifinals, 57-52.
 
>This will mark the third time in program history and the first since 1993 Miami will play at home in the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes are 6-1 all-time in Coral Gables in postseason play, including 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
 
> Jessica Thomas and Adrienne Motley were named Second Team All-ACC by the Blue Ribbon Panel. Miami last had two All-ACC players in 2013 and Motley is the sixth Hurricane with three-plus all-league awards. Thomas, Laura Cornelius and Emese Hof became the first Miami trio with All-ACC Academic Team honors the same year.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
Setting the scene: The Eagles fell just shy of an ASUN regular season title for the first time in six years after a heartbreaking 64-67 overtime loss to in-state foe Stetson in the final game of the regular season. The crushing blow ended FGCU's streak of 75-straight regular season home wins, as the Eagle's hadn't dropped an ASUN game at the Nest since Jan. 8, 2009.
 
ASUN Quarterfinals: No. 2 FGCU rallied from the loss to the Hatters and, despite an uncharacteristically slow start. The Eagles trailed by three heading into halftime, but outscored the Ospreys 41-21 in the second half en route to a 59-42 win.
 
ASUN Semifinals: With a trip to the ASUN Finals on the line, FGCU was slated to battle reigning champ Jacksonville, which upset the Eagles in the final minutes of last year's Championship game. The Eagles and Dolphins had split their regular season meetings, each capturing a win at home. Led by a career-high 27 points from Erica Nelson, FGCU grinded out a 68-64 victory.
 
ASUN Championship: In order to claim its 4th ASUN Championship and NCAA Tournament berth, the Eagles would have to travel to Deland, Fla. for a rematch against No. 1 Stetson. Trailing by 9 with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter and with the Hatters shooting 68.8% from three, the Eagles went on a two minute 11-0 tear to capture the lead and hung on for a 77-70 victory. Ten of the Eagles 24-points scored in the final five minutes of the game came from China Dow, who was named Tournament MVP.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
FGCU suffered just a single loss at home this season for a record of 17-1. From Jan. 8, 2009 to Feb. 13, 2017, the Eagles won 75-straight ASUN games at home over a span of 7 years. The streak came to an end this year when FGCU fell to Stetson in overtime during the final game of the regular season.
 
ASUN SUCCESS
The Eagles joined the ASUN for the 2007-08 season and immediately saw success among the conference ranks. The team has won six-straight regular-season championships with a conference record of 93-3 over that span. The Eagles have won seven total regular-season championships and have never finished lower than second in the final conference standings. FGCU holds a record of 157-15 all-time in conference games.
 
POWERFUL WINS
With the win over the Pac-12's Arizona in Puerto Rico last season, the Eagles have secured a win over at least one team from each of the five power conferences including:
 
ACC: Wake Forest ('16) Clemson ('14), VT ('10, 11, 12)
Big 10: Michigan ('16), Michigan State ('11), Indiana ('10)
Big 12: Oklahoma State ('15)
SEC: Auburn ('15), LSU ('12), Florida ('08)
Pac 12: Arizona ('15)
 
BIG TIME
Head Coach Karl Smesko earned his 400th career victory on Feb. 21, 2015 with a win over USC Upstate. Smesko hit the milestone in just 493 games. That's two faster than legend Geno Auriemma and also quicker than high-profile coaches Vanderveer, Summitt and McGraw.
 
FLORIDA FOES
Since transitioning to Division I in 2007, the Eagles hold a record of 90-21 over teams from the state of Florida.
 
SMESKO'S OFFENSE
The Eagles run a motion offense with five equal parts constantly moving to create the best shots. Don't be surprised to see five 'G's in the starting lineup as 10 of the team's 15 players are listed as guards.
 
PROTECTING THE NEST
Alico Arena stands as the second-toughest place to play in all of NCAA Division I women's basketball. The first: UConn's Gampel Pavilion. The Eagles hold a record of 149-12 at home since making the jump to Division I in 2007-08 and have won 86 out of 88 ASUN games with the home crowd behind them.
 
#RAININGTHREES
The team's moniker Raining Threes isn't just for show. FGCU has made an incredible 4,397 3-pointers in 15 seasons for an average of 9.0 per game. The Eagles are riding a 369-game streak with at least one three ball and have made a long-range shot in 484 of 485 games in program history.
 
BALL CONTROL
A large part of Smesko's system relies on forcing turnovers and protecting the rock. FGCU has limited itself to single digit turnovers in seven games this season, while forcing its opponent to more than 20 turnovers in 15 games. As a result, the Eagles possess the eighth-best turnover margin in the NCAA at 6.71.
 
Turnover Margins
1. Lamar University 8.90
2. Auburn 8.52
3. Syracuse 8.23
4. Mercer 7.52
5. Nicholls St. 7.27
6. Hampton 6.78
7. Western Ill. 6.75
8. FGCU 6.71
9. Mississippi St. 6.67
10. Hartford 6.61
 
A SURPLUS OF SCORERS
Versatility has become a trademark for the Eagles offense this season. Eleven of FGCU's 13 active players have reached double-figure scores this year, while eight led the team in scoring in a game.
 
Scoring Leaders (x led)
Rose Julien (9x)
Erica Nelson (6x)
Taylor Gradinjan (5x)
Haley Laughter (4x)
Jessica Cattani (4x)
Jordin Alexander (3x)
China Dow (2x)
Tytionia Adderly (1x)
 
10 pt Scorers (x)
Rose Julien (19x)
Jordin Alexander (15x)
Erica Nelson (13x)
China Dow (12x)
Haley Laughter (12x)
Jessica Cattani (11x)
Taylor Gradinjan (10x)
Tytionia Adderly (5x)
Nasrin Ulel (4x)
Mikala McGhee (1x)
Tayler Goodall (1x)
 
LEADING THE NATION
The Eagles have made the most three-pointers in the NCAA this season with 329 in 34 games. Their average of 9.7 per contest ranks fifth in the nation.
 
Total Three-pointers
1. FGCU 329
2. Washington 322
3. Idaho 320
4. Sacramento St. 320
5. Saint Francis (PA) 319
 
Threes per game
1. Sacramento St. 10.7
2. Saint Francis (PA) 10.6
3. Idaho 10.3
4. Washington 10.1
5. FGCU 9.8
 
SMARTYPANTS
Redshirt seniors Jordin Alexander and Taylor Gradinjan were named to the 2016-17 Co-SIDA Academic All-District 4 team. The honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes based on combined performances athletically and in the classroom and is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.
In addition to their well-documented success on the court, both Alexander and Gradinjan maintain perfect 4.0 GPA's as grad school students. Alexander is working towards her master's in Public Administration, while Gradinjan is earning hers in Health Sciences.
 
AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
Entering the NCAA Tournament, FGCU is one of just 7 schools in the country to have it's men's and women's teams win at least 20 games in five-straight seasons and one of just five schools to have it's men's and women's teams win at least 25 games this season.
 
MOST WINS IN FLORIDA
FGCU - 26
Stetson – 26
FSU – 25
USF – 24
Miami – 23
Jacksonville – 23
Bethune – 21
UCF – 20
UF – 15
FAMU – 13
UNF – 10
FIU – 5
FAU – 4
 
RANKINGS
Scoring Offense: 72.2 ppg
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 51th
 
Scoring Defense: 56.0 ppg
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 21st
 
Scoring Margin: 16.2
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 14th
 
3-point FG/Game: 9.7
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 5th
 
Turnovers/Game: 12.4
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 17th
 
Turnovers Forced/Game: 19.12
ASUN: 2nd
NCAA: 33rd
 
Turnover margin: 6.71
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 8th
 
Assist:TO ratio: 1.21
ASUN: 1st
NCAA: 24th
 
Steals/Game: 9.6
ASUN: 2nd
NCAA: 51st
 
SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_WBB on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook at /FGCUWBB.
 
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 404-81 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.3 with a mark of 160-15 (91.4 W%) in ASUN contests and has led the team to a 93-3 (96.9 W%) record in conference play in the last six seasons.  The six-time ASUN Coach of the Year earned his 400th career win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma, and holds a career record of 465-108 (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.