Lady Eagles Show Improvement in Loss to Ranked Georgia

STATESBORO, Ga. - Behind 40 points in the paint and 31 points off turnovers, the 12th ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs defeated the Georgia Southern Lady Eagles 68-49 at Hanner Fieldhouse. Four days after an 88-46 loss to Arizona, the Lady Eagles took a step in the right direction with a much improved first half and trailed by only seven points in second-half scoring.

"We competed right out of the chute," said Head Coach Rusty Cram. "We didn't play scared, and we played aggressive and got after them."

Georgia (2-0) went to their post game in the second half, scoring 22 of their 40 points in the paint to put the game away. Led by Jasmine Hassell's 17 points, three Lady Bulldogs scored in double figures. Khaalidah Miller and Jasmine James added 16 points each. Anna Marie Armstong was held to nine points after a career-high outburst of 22 points in the opener but tied for the team lead with seven rebounds.

Georgia Southern (0-2) held their own on the boards and trailed by only six rebounds. MiMi DuBose (Jefferson, Ga.) bounced back from a three-point performance against the Wildcats with a team-high 14 points. She also nailed her first two three pointers of the season.

"She feels a little bit better now. It certainly loosened her up a bit," said Cram of DuBose's performance in the opener. "We gotta have MiMi if we are playing basketball and want to be a good team. When shooters get in that funk it's a mental thing with them, and they have to work their way out of it."

The Lady Eagles took a 15-11 lead with 13:04 to go in the first period  after a 9-0 run. Freshman Tashayla Steede (Marietta, Ga.) sparked the run with four points and erased the Lady Bulldogs' early five-point advantage. GSU shot a much improved 47.6 percent in the first half but was held below 30 percent in the second half.

"They were coachable tonight, but we still have to get that chemistry so when we get seven, eight or nine people deep we don't miss a beat. That is what this time of the year is all about," added Cram.

The freshmen continue to impress in the early going. Steede was a part of a new starting five and finished the night with eight points and four rebounds, while Anna Claire Knight (Dublin, Ga.) played 21 minutes and scored seven of the team's 13 bench points.

Steede along with DuBose joined the starting five for the second game of the season and both took advantage of the opportunity. They joined Brittney Benzio (Palm City, Fla.), Janay Wilson (Warner Robins, Ga.)  and Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.), who started the season opener.

"We went back and looked at tape from Friday night and looked at what chemistries worked the best against Arizona," said Cram. "We started them tonight and gave them a look. It turned out true to form for what we expected."

Wilson joined DuBose in double figures with 10 points after going six-for-nine from the charity stripe. She also pulled down a team-best six rebounds and was active on the defensive end with three steals.

The Lady Eagles hit the road for a five-game road swing beginning at Mercer on Thursday. Tip-off is set from 7 p.m. in Macon.

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Category: Women's Basketball

Published on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 23:03