STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern allowed Mercer only one field goal over nearly six minutes early in the second half to take a commanding 54-27 lead and eventual 71-52 in the season home opener at Hanner Fieldhouse Tuesday night. Senior guard Jamie Navarro scored a game-high and career-best 21 points in the Lady Eagles victory. Candice Ivy and Samantha Williams each posted 10 points while Meredyth Frye had a career night with 12 rebounds and seven assists.

The 20-2 run to start the second half put the Lady Eagles in position to cruise the remainder of the game. Navarro had two threes while Williams and Ivy had five points each and Krista Tate contributed four during the spurt. Mercer's Sharnea Boykin broke the scoring drought at the 14:02 mark with a jumper in the lane.

Over the next four minutes Mercer managed only five points as Georgia Southern maintained the comfortable lead. Navarro added five more points before taking a seat for the night. An 8-2 run provided several Lady Eagles with an opportunity for court time late in the second half. Free throws by Ariel Barns started a 10-2 run for the Bears and Williams added another basket that would end with the final 71-52 margin.

"I am proud of Jamie and the way she played tonight," said Georgia Southern Head Coach Rusty Cram. "Having a leader like Jamie out on the floor makes it easier for me to be the coach. I was proud of our team's effort coming out of the locker room at halftime, but we still have a lot to work on before Alabama."

Navarro's two three pointers early in the game, along with layups by Ivy and Williams paced Georgia Southern to a quick 10-3 lead. Mercer tightened the score as Brittnee Hazel hit back-to-back baskets in the paint to pull the Bears within three, 10-7. A 9-3 run by the Lady Eagles, off three-point baskets by Mimi DuBose and Frye. Another jumper by Ivy put GSU up by 11, its largest lead of the game to that point.

Over the next five and a half minutes, the Bears went on a 15-2 run to tie the score at 25 all. Kourtney Carter started the stretch with a jumper and Rebecca Clanton hit a three pointer after she rebounded a Lady Eagle miss. Briana Williams scored 10 of the 15 points with two treys and two baskets, including seven straight points in a 90-seconds stretch.

Georgia Southern closed the half with a 9-0 run as Navarro and Ivy converted on free throws, four by Navarro and two by Ivy, and Jordi Cook hit her first collegiate three-pointer. The Lady Eagles took a 34-25 lead into halftime.

Alabama heads to Statesboro for a contest Friday, November 19th, against the Lady Eagles. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hanner Fieldhouse. Fans are invited to help break the attendance record for the Lady Eagles and "Top the Tide." The first 500 fans will receive a free slice of Papa John's pizza.

Single-game tickets are available at the ticket windows at Hanner Fieldhouse one hour prior to tip-off and are $8 for adults and $4 for youth. Fans may also purchase a flex plan - five tickets for $25 - which allows tickets to be used for either men's or women's games. Fans may use all five tickets at one game or split them between games.

Coastal Carolina 44, College of Charleston 43

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Sydnei Moss hit a jumper with .4 seconds left to quell a furious Cougar rally and lift the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to the 44-43 win over the College of Charleston women's basketball team tonight in front of 1,026 fans at the Carolina First Arena.

Down by nine, 38-29, with 9:07 remaining, the Cougars (1-2) staged a 14-4 run, led by four points from Tonia Gerty and Ariel Hatcher, the two leading scorers on the night.  The run ended with 21 seconds left on the clock as Jillian Brown connected on her first career three-pointer to give the Cougars the one-point, 43-42 lead.

Moss, who led the Chanticleers (2-0) with 18 points and seven rebounds, hit a clutch jumper just to the left of the basket to return the lead to Coastal Carolina with .4 seconds on the clock.  Charleston was unable to get a shot off and the Chanticleers escaped with the 44-43 win.

After Gerty hit a jumper at 17:45 for the game's first points, the Cougar offense went cold, as they missed their next eight shots to fall 12-2 with 12:23 to go before intermission.  Gerty hit one of her team-leading 14 points to snap the drought at 9:19 in the first half and sparked an 11-3 run that whittled the deficit to two, 15-13, with 2:47 on the clock.

Charleston pulled to within one with just over a minute left before a lay-up by Alexx Puckett with 36 seconds remaining increased the Coastal Carolina lead to three at intermission, 20-17.

Following Gerty's 14 points was Hatcher with her career-high 12 points.  Charleston out-rebounded Coastal Carolina 45-36, with Latisha Harris leading the way with a career-high 11.  After shooting just 28.6 percent from the field in the first half, the Cougars recovered in the second and went 12-for-29 for 41.4 percent.  Charleston ended the game with 35.1 percent, while Coastal Carolina shot 33.3 percent.

The Cougars had five more turnovers, 23-18.  Both teams were dismal from long range, with the Chanticleers connecting on just two-of-10 and the Cougars two-of-11.

Charleston next travels to Bethune Cookman Friday, Nov. 19 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.