HONOLULU - For the third time in program history, the FGCU women's basketball team (2-1) is in the state of Hawaii to compete as the Green and Blue will battle No. 7 Stanford (3-0), Hawaii (1-4) and American (2-1) as part of the 2018 Rainbow Wahine Showdown in the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii this weekend.

Follow Along | Rainbow Wahine Showdown
FGCU vs No. 7 Stanford | Friday | 9:30 PM ET | Live Stats | Listen (GoStanford.com)
Hawaii vs American | Saturday | 12 AM ET | Watch | Live Stats
No. 7 Stanford vs American | Saturday | 5 PM ET - Live Stats
Hawaii vs FGCU | Saturday | 7:30 PM ET | Watch (BigWest.TV) | Live Stats
American vs FGCU | Sunday | 5 PM ET | Live Stats
Hawaii vs No. 7 Stanford | Sunday | 7:30 PM ET | Watch | Live Stats

Game Notes
FGCU (PDF) | Stanford (PDF) | American (PDF) | Hawaii (PDF)

Series History
In the opener, FGCU will get a rematch against Stanford, who knocked the Eagles out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round last year. It will be the third all-time meeting against the Cardinal, who also picked up an 83-59 win in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Nov. 27, 2013 in head coach Tara Vanderveer's 900th career win.

The Rainbow Wahine Showdown will witness the first-ever meeting between FGCU and American University, who went 26-7 last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before falling to UCLA in the opening round. The Eagles are 1-0 all-time against Hawai'i, with the win coming Dec. 29, 2011 when Nicoya Jackson poured in 19 points to lead the Green and Blue to a 72-52 win.

History in Hawaii
This weekend's jaunt represents the program's third all-time trip to Hawaii – joining the 2011-12 and 2003-04 teams. Of those, this will be the second trip to Honolulu, joining the 2011-12 team, while the 2003-04 team visited Kilauea.

Here's a look at how each of those two teams fared in their matchups:

Rainbow Wahine Invitational
Dec. 28, 2011 - L 69-64 to N.C. State
Dec. 29, 2011 - W 72-52 vs Hawaii
Dec. 30, 2011 - W 85-38 vs Alcorn State

Hoop 'N Surf Classic
Dec. 17, 2003 - L 87-85 vs West Virginia Wesleyan
Dec. 18, 2003 - L 73-64 vs Wingate

Stanford Preview
Head coach: Tara Vanderveer - 887-191 in 32 + seasons at Stanford | 1,039-242 record in 39 + years as a collegiate head coach (Stanford, Ohio State, Idaho) | 4-Time National Coach of the Year (1988, 1989, 1990, 2011) | 15-Time Pac-12 Coach of the Year | 2-Time Big 10 Coach of the Year | 2-Time NCAA National Champion (1990, 1992) | 12 NCAA Final Four Appearances | 22 Pac-12 regular season championships | 12 Pac-12 tournament championships | 32 NCAA Tournament appearances | 3 Big 10 regular season championships

Stanford (3-0) boasts its own high-powered offense, having easily won its first three games by an average of 35.3 points. The Cardinal is averaging 94.0 points while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from long distance while holding a rebounding margin of +16.3.

Sharp-shooting Kiana Williams is averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 64.5 percent overall and 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from 3-point range. Alanna Smith is close behind at 17.7 points per game while Lexie Hull is averaging a team-best seven rebounds and has notched the Cardinal's only double-double of the season.

The Cardinal has also received a noticeable lift from its bench, led by Maya Dodson. One of four players scoring in double figures, Dodson is averaging 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 60.9 percent from the field. Dodson, who has joined Smith and Williams as the only players to reach double figures in all three games, is the team's leading shot-blocker with eight swats and has totaled seven assists to just one turnover.

Friday's contest against FGCU will be Stanford's first game in eight days. The Cardinal's Nov. 18 home contest against Ohio State was canceled, as a significant increase in smoke from the devastating wildfires in Butte County had compromised the air quality throughout the Bay Area while causing the Air Quality Index (AQI) readings to reach, and occasionally exceed, the "Very Unhealthy" category. With no guarantee that conditions would improve and the Buckeyes' Nov. 16 game at Sacramento State already canceled, it was decided the game would not be played.
 
Stanford Leaders
PPG: Kiana Williams (18), Alanna Smith (17.7), Lexie Hull (10.7), Maya Dodson (10)
RPG: Lexie Hull (7), Alanna Smith (6), Alyssa Jerome (5.3), Nadia Fingall (5)
APG: Kiana Williams (5), Alanna Smith (2.7), Maya Dodson (2.3), DiJonai Carrington (2.0)
SPG: Lexie Hull (2.7), Anna Wilson (1.3), Alanna Smith (1.3), Maya Dodson (1.0)
BPG: Maya Dodson (2.7), Alanna Smith (2.0), Lexie Hull (1)

Hawaii Preview
Head coach: Laura Beeman - 103-89 in six + seasons at Hawaii | Big West Coach of the Year (2015) | NCAA Tournament (2016), Big West championship (2015) | WNIT (2013, 2014, 2015)

All four of the 'Bows' losses have been decided by eight points or less, meaning Hawaii did just enough to keep each game within striking distance. Their record against nationally-ranked teams is 10-93, including 40-straight losses and they haven't knocked off a ranked opponent in 20 years. The last time it happened was against No. 17 Kansas on Nov. 22, 1998 when Hawaii took down the Jayhawks 51-47.
 
Hawaii Leaders
PPG: Leah Salanoa (12.8), Makenna Woodfolk (10.8), Julissa Tago (9.4)
RPG: Leah Salanoa (7), Makenna Woodfolk (4.0), Tia Kanoa (3.4)
APG: Tia Kanoa (4), Courtney Middap (2.4)
SPG: Makenna Woodfolk (2.6), Tia Kanoa (1.2), Savannah Reier (1.0)
BPG: Makenna Woodfolk (1.2), Lauren Rewers (1.0)

American Preview
Head coach: Megan Gebbia - 97-66 in five + seasons American | 2 Patriot League championships | 3 postseason appearances, including NCAA Tournament trips in 2015 and 2018

American (2-1), located in Washington, D.C. and owners of a 22-game home winning streak, got a 26-point effort from Cecily Carl in the team's most recent outing, an 83-54 road loss to Denver on Monday. The 6-3 senior center, who is the reigning Patriot League tournament MVP, became the 19th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone with the output. She also became one of two American products to hit 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career, and she's also added over 100 3-point field goals.

The Eagles opened the season at No. 24 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll before moving up to No. 19 the second week. This week, they're in the receiving votes section after falling to Denver. Last year, they made an 11-week run in the weekly rankings, elevating as high as No. 11 in mid-February.

American, who is currently in an eight-day road trip over the holiday break, opened the season picked to finish second in the Patriot League behind Bucknell. The Eagles received two of the 20 first-place votes and landed Cecily Carl on the preseason all-league team.

Head coach Megan Gebbia started her coaching career as an assistant at American in 1995-96. She then spent six seasons at UMBC as an assistant before one year at Wright State in 2002-03. Following that, she landed an associate head coach role at Marist from 2003-13 before landing the gig at American.

American Leaders
PPG: Cecily Carl (19), Kaitlyn Marenyi (14), Elina Koskimies (12.7), Kaitlyn Lewis (11)
RPG: Cecily Carl (5.0), Kaitlyn Marenyi (4.7), Indeya Sanders (4.3), Kaitlyn Lewis (4.0)
APG: Kaitlyn Marenyi (3.3), Emily Fisher (2.7), Indeya Sanders (2.7)
SPG: Kaitlyn Marenyi (2.0)
BPG: Cecily Carl (1.3), TakKenya Cleveland (1.0)

500 On The Horizon
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko entered this season with a 496-114 (.813) career head coaching record, which ranked him as the third winningest active Division-I head coach behind UConn's Geno Auriemma (1,027-136, .883) and Baylor's Kim Mulkey (539-98, .846). He enters Friday with 498 wins, which puts him just two wins shy of a major coaching milestone, his 500th win. He earned his 400th victory in just 493 games, which was two faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma.

Here's a look at his previous milestones:

100th career win – Dec. 28, 2003 vs Cheyney (85-46)
200th career win – Jan. 19, 2008 vs Kennesaw State (75-64)
300th career win – Dec. 19, 2011 vs USC Upstate (77-53)
400th career win – Feb. 21, 2015 vs USC Upstate (75-59)
500th career win – two wins away

Mid-Major Ranking
The Eagles are ranked 12th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll. For the full poll, click here.

Hometown Star
Keri Jewett-Giles (Fort Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS), who transferred to her hometown university from Southern Miss prior to last season, has led the Eagles in scoring through three games. In fact, after averaging 16.5 points in two victories last week, the redshirt junior guard was named the ASUN's player and newcomer of the week earlier this week.

Mid-Major Power
Over the past four seasons, FGCU recorded 121 wins, which is the most among all mid-majors and seventh-most among any Division-I program, trailing only UConn (148), Notre Dame (137), Baylor (135), South Carolina (129), Mississippi State (126) and Maryland (123). On top of that, the program is one of only six in Division-I with three 30-win seasons during that stretch – joining UConn, Baylor, Notre Dame, Maryland and South Carolina.
 
Leading the 3-Point Revolution
At FGCU, Smesko has turned FGCU into one of the premier 3-point shooting teams in the nation. In 16 + seasons, his teams have shot a combined 4,895-for-14,030 (.349) from long range, or 9.31 per game. In fact, the team has made at least one 3-point field goal in 412 straight games and went without at least one make in only one game in program history – Feb. 21, 2006 vs Lynn University (0-for-11).

In 2017-18, the Green and Blue made an NCAA Division-I single season record 431 3-pointers on 1,190 attempts, equating out to a .362 percentage. In doing so, the team made and attempted over twice as many as they did in the program's initial season in 2002-03 (212-for-535). Since that first year, FGCU has made at least 300 in a season 10 times, including each of the past nine seasons.

2002-03 --- 212-for-535 (.396)
2003-04 --- 118-for-406 (.291)
2004-05 --- 253-for-722 (.350)
2005-06 --- 242-for-747 (.324)
2006-07 --- 337-for-891 (.378)
2007-08 --- 255-for-734 (.347)
2008-09 --- 296-for-763 (.388)
2009-10 --- 317-for-876 (.362)
2010-11 --- 350-for-940 (.372)
2011-12 --- 342-for-925 (.370)
2012-13 --- 319-for-974 (.328)
2013-14 --- 347-for-1,000 (.347)
2014-15 --- 327-for-928 (.352)
2015-16 --- 372-for-1,194 (.312)
2016-17 --- 338-for-1,058 (.319)
2017-18 --- 431-for-1,190 (.362)
2018-19 --- 39-for-113 (.345)
TOTALS: 4,895-for-14,030 (.349)

Including all three games this season, FGCU has made at least 10 or more 3-point field goals in a single game 240 times, including a single-season record 25 times in 2017-18. They have at least 15 games with at least 10 or more in each of the past 10 seasons.

ASUN Preseason Awards
Tytionia Adderly (Jupiter, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) and Nasrin Ulel (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta HS) were each named to the ASUN's preseason all-conference team a couple weeks ago, while the Green and Blue took eight of the nine first-place votes and was selected to repeat as the ASUN champion.

McCaskill Returns
Former FGCU women's basketball student-athlete Sydnei McCaskill (2015-17) has returned to the program as the new video coordinator, replacing another former student-athlete, Stephanie Haas, who departed for an assistant coaching position at Ohio University. This will represent the third consecutive season that the Green and Blue's coaching staff is comprised of all former student-athletes of head coach Karl Smesko.

Up Next
Following this weekend, FGCU will have a quick turnaround when they host Houston (2-3) on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The Cougars finished 20-12 last year, including a 9-7 mark in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play. They finished fifth in the AAC behind solid teams such as UConn, South Florida, Central Florida and Cincinnati before advancing to the WNIT via an at-large bid, where they fell to South Dakota in the opening round. They won a program-record 11 non-conference games during the season, received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and even knocked off the ASUN's newest member, Liberty.

FGCU Record Book

Rebounds 
1. 887 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
2. 735 - Whitney KNIGHT (114o-621d) - 2011-12,13-16
3. 658 - Adrianne MCNALLY (240o-418d) - 2006-10
4. 640 - Robyn SWAIN (236o-404d) - 2002-04
5. 603 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
6. 585 - Tytionia ADDERLY (248o-337d) - 2016-present 
7. 508 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
8. 498 - Taylor GRADINJAN (117o-381d) - 2012-13,14-18
9. 422 - Katie MEADOR (193o-229d) - 2012-16
10. 408 - Kate SCHRADER (194o-214d) - 2005-07
 
Rebounding average (min. 40 games) 
1. 11.2 - Robyn SWAIN (57 games) - 2002-04
2. 8.4 - Tytionia ADDERLY (70 games) - 2016-present 
3. 6.7 - Sarah HANSEN (132 games) - 2010-14
4. 6.3 - Kate SCHRADER (65 games) - 2005-07
5. 5.8 - Andrea CLARKE (55 games) - 2003-05
6. 5.7 - Whitney KNIGHT (130 games) - 2011-12,13-16
7. 5.6 - Delia DE LA TORRE (61 games) - 2006-08
8. 5.5 - Noreen MCCALLUM (57 games) - 2002-04
9. 5.4 - Chelsea LYLES (62 games) - 2008-10
10. 5.1 - Adrianne MCNALLY (128 games) - 2006-10
 
Defensive rebounds 
1. 621 - Whitney KNIGHT (114o-621d) - 2011-12,13-16
2. 558 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
3. 420 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
4. 418 - Adrianne MCNALLY (240o-418d) - 2006-10
5. 404 - Robyn SWAIN (236o-404d) - 2002-04
6. 381 - Taylor GRADINJAN (117o-381d) - 2012-13,14-18
7. 337 - Tytionia ADDERLY (248o-337d) - 2016-present
8. 324 - DyTiesha DUNSON (61o-324d) - 2012-16
9. 321 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
10. 269 - Stephanie HAAS (96o-269d) - 2012-16
 
Offensive rebounds 
1. 329 - Sarah HANSEN (329o-558d) - 2010-14
2. 248 - Tytionia ADDERLY (248o-337d) - 2016-present 
3. 240 - Adrianne MCNALLY (240o-418d) - 2006-10
4. 236 - Robyn SWAIN (236o-404d) - 2002-04
5. 194 - Kate SCHRADER (194o-214d) - 2005-07
6. 193 - Katie MEADOR (193o-229d) - 2012-16
7. 187 - Kaneisha ATWATER (187o-321d) - 2013-16
8. 183 - Courtney CHIHIL (183o-420d) - 2008-12
9. 127 - Noreen MCCALLUM (127o-189d) - 2002-04
10. 122 - Andrea CLARKE (122o-196d) - 2003-05
 
GET YOUR PUNCH PASS
Get the best value in Southwest Florida with the FGCU Basketball Punch Pass. Three games for $15 or seven games for $30. Purchase online here.

GROUP TICKETS
Bring your group of 20 or more to an FGCU basketball game. Group tickets start as low as $7 per person and include a $5 off coupon for game day at The Boardwalk restaurant on the FGCU Waterfront. Contact the ticket office for more information 239-590-7145 or tickets@fgcu.edu.

SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
Fans can purchase or learn more about season tickets by contacting an Alico Arena Ticket Office representative over the phone at 239-590-7145 or by visiting the office Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Additional information is available on FGCUTickets.com.
 
Season ticket seat locations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Like in the past, Eagles Club membership may be required for certain seats, with giving levels utilized for access to better locations.
 
YOUNG ALUMNI
FGCU recently announced a program in which young alumni – those who have graduated from FGCU within the past five years – can save between 30-70 percent off Priority Level 4 and 5 section season tickets, in addition to receiving discounted Eagles Club membership, which is needed for select premier seats inside Alico Arena. Those interested in taking advantage of this offer are asked to click here or visit FGCUAthletics.com/YoungAlumni to complete a form. Following that, an FGCU Ticket Office representative will be in contact to set up an account. For more information, call 239-590-7145, email tickets@fgcu.edu or visit the Alico Arena Ticket Office Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
 
COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko led the 2017-18 Eagles to another historic season. The Green and Blue finished 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play, capturing the program's eighth ASUN regular season championship and fifth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season ranked 25th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, recaptured the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals made in a season with 431 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, where the Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded and No. 15 ranked Missouri in the opening round. It was the team's second tournament win over the past three appearances. Over the course of the season, FGCU knocked off three ranked teams - No. 15 Missouri, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 DePaul.

Over the past four seasons, Smesko has guided FGCU to three 30 plus win seasons while recording a 121-23 (.840) record overall. The now eight-time ASUN Coach of the Year rallied the 2016-17 team to its seventh straight 25-win campaign, culminating in an ASUN tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2015-16, he was named the espnW mid-major coach of the year following a run that witnessed the Eagles claim a WNIT runner-up finish and a Division-I program best ever 33-6 record. In 2014-15, the team achieved its first-ever top-25 ranking and made another trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Eagles earned a No. 7 seed and won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, toppling No. 10 seed Oklahoma State.

Including the 2017-18 campaign, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 14-straight 20-win seasons and eight-straight 25-win seasons. He maintains a record of 498-115 (.812) overall in his career, including a 170-16 (.914) mark in ASUN play. Over the past seven seasons, he has guided FGCU to a 106-4 (.964) record in conference play with four undefeated seasons. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. Entering 2016-17, he ranked 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. Over the past year, first-year NCAA Division-I head coaches Nancy Fahey (Illinois) and Bart Brooks (Belmont) pushed the list to six.

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.

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 contribute, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.