Lady Eagles End 2010 with 66-60 Win Over High Point

STATESBORO, Ga. - Sophomore guard Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) scored a career-best 20 points and Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) had her second double-double to lead Georgia Southern to a 66-60 win over High Point in Hanner Fieldhouse Wednesday night. The Lady Eagles extended their win streak to four with the win over the Panthers in the last non-conference game of the season and last contest of 2010. Georgia Southern improves to 5-8 while High Point falls below .500 to 6-7.

Playing their first game since returning from a holiday break, the Lady Eagles used 13 players with four scoring in double figures. MiMi DuBose (Jefferson, Ga.) had 14 points with three three-point baskets and Tate had 10 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds. Tate's total on the boards tied her career best. Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) also scored in double digits for the Lady Eagles with 10 points.

Georgia Southern had a 10-point lead, 63-53. with just over three minutes remaining in the game, but High Point wouldn't fold. The Panthers used a three-pointer and two free throws from Frances Fields and a jumper from Cheyenne Parker to pull within three, 63-60, with 1:24 to go. In the final 33 seconds, Navarro hit two free throws to add to the Lady Eagle lead, 65-60, and Tate had two big offensive rebounds on missed free throw attempts to hold possession for Georgia Southern.

The Lady Eagles built a seven-point lead in the first five minutes. The Panthers, however, trimmed the lead to two in just over a minute and then tied the game at 11 and 13 all near the 13-minute mark. The Georgia Southern lead wavered between three and five points until High Point's LaTeisha Dean hit three straight field goals against only one for the Lady Eagles to put the score at 22-21 GSU with 5:44 left in the first half.

A 9-0 Lady Eagle run stretched the score from a one-point game, 24-23, to a 10-point Georgia Southern lead, 33-23, over two-and-a-half minutes. The Panthers would cut the lead to six as the Georgia Southern took a 35-29 lead into the locker room. The Lady Eagles hit 15-29 from the floor in the first half for 51.7 percent, with four more made baskets, while High Point had an 18-11 rebounding advantage. Georgia Southern forced High Point into 10 turnovers in the first half and committed only four.

Starting strong in the second half, Georgia Southern hit two three pointers to take a 41-31 lead and extended it to 12 with two layups by Tate and another by Candice Ivy (Roswell, Ga.). Navarro added a three to put the Lady Eagles up 14 points, 50-36, midway through the period. A 13-4 Panther run over the next four minutes would make it a two-possession game, 54-49, with 6:42 left to play. Free throws by DuBose and Frye, as well as a well-timed jumper by Tate, would push the lead back to eight, 60-52. Frye would convert a three-point play to give the Lady Eagles the 10-point cushion a 3:15 left in the game.

Three High Point players scored in double figures with Fields leading the Panthers with 13, 11 coming in the second half. Dean went 4-7 from the field, including a trey, with all 11 of her points in the first half. Mackenzie Maier had eight rebounds to lead High Point on the boards.
 
The Lady Eagles begin 2011 with a two-game Southern Conference road trip, traveling for a January 3 game at Elon and January 5 game at UNC Greensboro. Both games begin at 7 p.m. Fans may follow Georgia Southern Women's Basketball by visiting GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/ladyeagles or check in at twitter.com/GSAthletics or facebook.com/GSAthletics for short updates.

Category: Women's Basketball

Published on Wednesday, 29 December 2010 23:50