Georgia Southern 76, Jacksonville 69
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Four Lady Eagles scored in double digits and Georgia Southern led the entire game as GSU women’s basketball defeated Jacksonville 76-69 at Hanner Fieldhouse, Wednesday evening.
The Lady Eagles (5-5) improved their win streak to four games and were led by junior Tiffany Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) and sophomore Ashley Rivens (Charlotte, Ga.) who scored 15 points apiece.
Jacksonville falls to 4-4 with the loss, continuing a four-game skid. Virginia Gregoire led all players with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting and seven rebounds on the night. Ashley Williams followed with 15 points and six rebounds.
“That’s the quickest team we’ve played all year...,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “I felt like we were deeper. I felt like it was a team effort tonight. Different people stepped up at different times.”
The Lady Eagles got up on the scoreboard first as freshman Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) connected with a cutting Ashley Rivens for an easy backdoor layup.
Early in the game, the Lady Eagles took advantage of the tight Jacksonville defense. Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) found a cutting Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.) who put up an easy backdoor layup. The bucket ignited an 8-2 scoring run that put the Lady Eagles up 25-16 with 9:10 remaining in the first half.
The Dolphins answered back with their own 7-2 run sparked by Courtney Jackson’s three-pointer, and Jacksonville ended up closing the GSU lead to 25-21 with 8:12 remaining in the half.
Ashley Rivens trey with 4:29 on the clock turned the momentum back to the home team as they went on a 11-4 run, extending the GSU lead to 42-33 just under two minutes remaining.
The Lady Eagles went into halftime with a 44-35 lead, including a strong performance from Rivens who led all scorers with 13 points, going 6-of-7 from the field. The Lady Eagles shot an excellent 67.7 percent on 21-of-31 shooting in the first stanza.
Virginia Gregoire led the Dolphins in the first half with 10 points at the break.
In the second half, GSU took their largest lead of the game when Carolyn Whitney buried a three-pointer, giving the Lady Eagles a 49-37 advantage just three minutes into the second half.
Jacksonville cut the GSU lead down to two points with 8:47 remaining, being sent to the line six times in a span of 4:25, going 6-of-6 for a 60-58 score.
The Lady Eagles next built up a seven-point lead, but the Dolphins trimmed the GSU advantage down to just two points when Gregoire buried a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining.
On the next possession, the Lady Eagles broke Jacksonville’s press when Brown’s half-court pass connected with a sprinting Rivens who finished with a layup. GSU led 73-69 with 34 seconds remaining.
The remaining moments were spent on the line which saw Christa Waterman (Sugar Hill, Ga.) calmly sink a pair of free throws and Carolyn Whitney adding another.
The Dolphins led the game with a 14-10 advantage in second-chance points, despite the Lady Eagles leading in the rebounds department, 37-35. Jacksonville capitalized on GSU’s 21 turnovers, producing 22 points. But Georgia Southern’s 32-of-58 (.552) shooting over Jacksonville’s 26-of-66 (.394) made the difference in the end.
Head coach Rusty Cram and the Lady Eagles continue their five-game homestand as they open up conference play versus the College of Charleston, Saturday, December 16 at Hanner Fieldhouse. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.