Lady Eagles Play Host to Davidson, Thursday
Georgia Southern (16-11, 12-4 SoCon) and Davidson (17-10, 11-5 SoCon) have secured a bye in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament. The winner of Thursday’s contest could determine which team takes the third seed in the league standings. Either way, the third and fourth seeded spots will be filled by Georgia Southern and Davidson. The third and fourth seeds will face the sixth and fifth seeds, respectively, on Saturday (Mar. 8) at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Georgia Southern is looking to bounce back after a pair of losses to the first and second seeded teams in the conference (Western Carolina and Chattanooga, respectively). The loss to Chattanooga (Feb. 25) by a 79-60 margin stopped the Lady Eagles’ perfect 10-game win streak at home, which was the 10th-longest such streak in the nation. Georgia Southern currently sits in third place in the league standings, while Davidson is just one game behind, but has already defeated the Lady Eagles earlier in the season, 62-56, at Belk Arena (Nov. 29).
Davidson suffered a 70-66 loss at Furman, Monday (Feb. 25) falling to 17-10 overall and 11-5 in SoCon play.
Although Davidson has a nine-game win streak over the Lady Eagles, Georgia Southern owns a 17-15 overall edge over the Wildcats. The last time the Lady Eagles defeated Davidson was back in 2003 in a 62-57 decision on neutral soil. Earlier that season, Georgia Southern beat the Wildcats at Hanner by a 77-61 margin.
Leading the Lady Eagles in scoring is senior guard Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) with 11.3 points per game, which is ninth-best in the conference. She is followed by classmate guard Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) with 9.9 points per contest, who is also leading the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) dishes out a team-high 3.12 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the conference. She consistently ranks among the nation’s leaders in assist to turnover ratio (1.72).
Pacing the Wildcats in scoring and rebounds per game is Mercedes Robinson with 12.1 points and 8.3 rebounds. She also leads the team in steals per game (1.8) while teammate Alex Thompson dishes out a team-best 3.9 assists per game.
A 1985 graduate of Louisiana Tech, head coach Rusty Cram is in his 12th season at the helm of the Lady Eagles and carries a 183-162 career and school record.
Davidson head coach Annette Watts, a 1981 graduate of East Tennessee State, carries a 116-87 record in her seventh year coaching overall.
The game will be called by Georgia Southern Radio Network’s Ryan Chambers on 94.9 FM, WHKN in Statesboro. Fans can listen to or watch the webcast on the World Wide Web at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
 | Tickets are still on sale for the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. The tournament begins on Thursday, Mar. 6 and concludes on Monday, Mar. 10. Secure your seats through the GSU ticket office by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by clicking the “Buy Your Tickets Here” link on the www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com main page. |
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- Category: Women's Basketball
- Published on Wednesday, 27 February 2008 00:07
