Men’s Basketball Wins Second-Straight with a 51-47 Triumph Over Charleston

VIDEO: Post-win interview with junior Eric Ferguson
VIDEO: Post-win interview with senior C.J. Reed
VIDEO: Post-win interview with Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young

VIDEO: Alley-oop vs. Charleston, C.J. Reed to Eric Ferguson, 1-17-2013

RADIO REPLAY: Georgia Southern 51, College of Charleston 47 -- 1-17-2013

PHOTO GALLERY: Georgia Southern Game Day vs. Charleston -- 1-17-2013

FINAL STATS (PDF)

STATESBORO, GA. – It may not have been pretty, but Georgia Southern Men’s Basketball tallied its second-straight SoCon win with a 51-47 victory over College of Charleston at Hanner Fieldhouse. The teams traded the lead 13 times on the night, but by out-scoring Charleston 11-3 in the final minute, Georgia Southern took the victory to move to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in league play.

“Charleston is a very long and athletic team that did a lot of things to stop us tonight,” said Head Coach Charlton “C.Y.” Young. “We were able to figure out ways to beat them in the second half and I’m proud of our guys for executing tonight. In the second half we said that we had to push the pace and get out and try to get shots in transition.”

C.J. Reed paced Georgia Southern with 14 points while the senior added five assists and three steals. Reed was 4-for-4 from the free throw line on the night.

Freshman Cleon Roberts added 12 points including a perfect 5-for-5 mark at the free throw line. He led Georgia Southern at the stripe as the team went 13-for-15 at the line (87%). College of Charleston struggled at the line with a 7-for-12 showing (58%).

Eric Ferguson scored 11 points with six rebounds and a pair of crucial steals.

Charleston (12-6, 4-2 SoCon) was led by 15 points from Andrew Lawrence, a veteran of the 2012 London Olympics. Anthony Thomas had 10 points and seven rebounds while Willis Hall led the Cougars with 11 boards. The Eagles were out-rebounded 40-35, but punished the Cougars on the glass in the second half 22-17.

Both teams struggled on the offensive side of the ball in the first half with the Cougars taking a 20-13 advantage at the break. GSU shot just 25% from the field in the opening 20 minutes while Charleston managed a meager 32% mark. The 13-point performance was the Eagles lowest first half point total this season, but the Eagles only trailed by seven.

At the interval, Georgia Southern Athletics honored its Championship Teams of 2012. The Eagle Football, Women’s Soccer, Softball and Volleyball teams were recognized on the court with a trophy presentation by University President Dr. Brooks A. Keel and Athletics Director Tom Kleinlein.

After halftime the Eagles needed less than two minutes to take the lead with a 9-1 run to open the half. The Eagles needed just more than five minutes to score a baker’s dozen in the second half.

With 5:48 remaining, Ferguson got on the end of an alley-oop pass from Reed to give the Eagles a 40-39 lead as the game entered its closing stages. The basket was Ferguson’s ninth point of the night.

Charleston, however, would score the next five points to take a 44-40 lead into the final two minutes of the contest.

A three-ball from Roberts with 56 seconds remaining cut the lead to just one point. On the inbounds play, Ferguson forced a jump ball and earned the steal as the Eagles got possession of the rock. The junior finished off the possession with an alley-oop flush that gave GSU a 44-43 lead.

Southern would not relinquish the lead down the stretch with a 6-for-6 performance at the free throw line in the final 30 seconds. Ultimately, Georgia Southern out-scored College of Charleston 11-3 in the final minute for the victory.

The Eagles close this week’s three-game homestand on Saturday night as Georgia Southern hosts The Citadel at 7 p.m. It is Junior Eagle Club day at Hanner Fieldhouse with free admission for members of the Junior Eagle Club. After the game, members of the club can shoot basketballs on the court at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Fans can follow their Eagles at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or receive short updates at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or on Google+ at gplus.to/GSAthletics.

Category: Men's Basketball

Published on Thursday, 17 January 2013 22:00