Performance of the Week: Kaneisha Atwater vs. Providence

By: Cameron J. Kaiser

If you're like me and attend Florida Gulf Coast University, then you know very well that last week was exam week. If you don't go to FGCU, well, last week was exam week, so the campus was relatively quiet. Same goes for the basketball program, which had their quietest week of the season. Both the men of Dunk City and the women of Raining Threes played one game each this week, both within the friendly confines of Alico Arena. The women once again flexed their muscles by beating the Big East's own Providence, while the men gave a lackadaisical effort against Florida International in their baffling loss to the Panthers.

Friars get grilled by Eagles

FGCU vs. Providence (Thursday, Dec. 11) W 68-58: Before their first match up ever against the Friars, FGCU had a program record of 2-3 against Big East teams. The lady Eagles built a 15 point lead deep in the first half against the Friars, and never looked back. Both teams tallied 33 rebounds and created 18 turnovers, but FGCU shot 51 percent to beat Providence by 10.

Disappointment in Dunk City

FGCU vs. Florida International (Sunday, Dec. 14) L 63-69: After racing out to a 20-6 lead in the first ten minutes of the game, the Eagles dilapidated right before the crowd's eyes. FIU turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, holding both Bernard Thompson and Julian DeBose scoreless. The Panthers out-rebounded FGCU 39-27 for the game, and outscored the Eagles by 10 in the second half on 65 percent shooting.

Performance of the Week

This week's "Performance of the Week" was by far the easiest to select to date. Kaneisha Atwater of the lady Eagles has earned the honor in week four for her record setting performance against Providence.

Courtesy of Captive Photons

Kaneisha Atwater, junior from Fort Pierce, Florida, had a monster night in the Eagles' impressive victory over the Friars of Providence. In 31 minutes of playing time, she put up an FGCU Division 1 record of 33 points, and did it on a nice 11 of 18 shooting. She also led the Eagles in steals with 4.

Atwater set the tone for the Eagles in the first half, scoring 12 of the first 21 points. She totaled 15 before the break, and then proceeded to not let up out of the locker room. Despite only scoring 26 points as a team in the second half, Atwater stayed strong by adding 18 more, sealing the victory over the Friars.

"She's an aggressive player. She's an emotional player. She's a high energy player. She's somebody that you have to respect her three, and then she's super quick with the ball. She's somebody that can provide a lot of defensive intensity, and I mean she's a very high level athlete, and then she has a high amount of competitiveness to go along with it," said head coach Karl Smesko about Atwater's ability as a player.