Georgia Southern Victorious in Overtime Thriller, 54-50
With the win – the first overtime game played by Georgia Southern since a win at Western Carolina in 2007 – put the Lady Eagles back at .500 at 8-8 overall and 3-4 in league play. Dropping the decision, Furman fell to 5-12, 3-5.
Caught in early foul trouble, J'Lisia Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.) scored six points within the first half, but added 10 to finish as the leading scorer for the Eagles with 16 points. Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) added nine points and led with a team-high seven rebounds, as did Samantha Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.).
Stephens paced the scoring offense for Furman with 19 points. Ledford added 10 and finished with a game-high eight boards.
Making an impact on the game, Georgia Southern shot 9-of-14 from the free throw line, while Furman went 18-of-29. For the game, the Lady Eagles shot 42 percent from the floor (21-50) to the Paladins’ 30 percent (14-47).
“It’s a huge win for the team. It allows us to go back into practice with a little more confidence and start focusing on building back to where we want to be,” stated Lady Eagle head coach Rusty Cram. “We got in foul trouble in the first half which forced us to play our younger kids and we simply couldn’t find any rhythm offensively or defensively.
“But we came back in the second half, got a little tougher and held our composure down the stretch. Now we have to keep people from getting in foul trouble.”
It was a challenge at the charity stripe through the second media timeout of the first half as Georgia Southern took four trips, converting two, to the Paladin’s 7-of-11 effort allowing the opposition to build an early 11-9 lead. The advantage stayed within two points as GS took a slight 15-14 lead off a Briana Scott (Dumfries, Va.) field goal before Ayanna Randolph responded for Furman. The Paladins used a late 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead 29-20 with 1:05 to play in the opening frame. Williams – making her first collegiate start – brought the halftime score to 29-22 with a jumper at the 54.3 marker.
GS quickly erased its halftime deficit with a 6-0 run sparked by Ogburn, who drained two baskets, and Candice Ivy (Roswell, Ga.), drawing the score to 29-28. Held scoreless for the first four minutes, Furman put in a bucket with a Laklyn Ledford jumper at the 15:54 mark. A Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) three-pointer gave Georgia Southern its first lead since 5:41 in the first half, 33-31. After Furman pitted the score at 33-all, an Ogburn – Whitney combination gave the Lady Eagles their largest lead of the game at 37-34.The Paladins held the Lady Eagles scoreless from the third media timeout capitalizing on an 8-0 run to retake control of the contest, 42-37 with 3:25 remaining.
Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) brought GS to within three points taking the first Lady Eagle trip to the charity stripe since 3:52 in the first half as Ogburn nailed two consecutive lay-ups to knot the score at 43-43 with 1:45 left to play. Kendra Berry connected on a one-and-one to give Furman the two-point lead, but Whitney tied it up with a lay-up, 45-45. With 22.4 seconds on the clock, Furman turned it over and despite a Georgia Southern possession, the Lady Eagles were sent into their first overtime game since 2007 at Western Carolina.
GS won the tip to start overtime and Ogburn immediately scored in the paint giving Georgia Southern a 47-45 advantage. But Thompson responded with a three-pointer to switch control. A jumper from Whitney put the Lady Eagles back in the lead, which would never be relinquished. Stephens brought the Paladins to within one, 51-50, but two GS trips to the charity stripe sealed the game for the Lady Eagles. Navarro and Wilson combined for a 3-of-4 effort from the free throw line, clinching the overtime win for Georgia Southern, 54-50.
The Lady Eagles return to the court at Wofford, Saturday, January 16. Tip-off in Spartanburg, S.C., is slated for 3:00 p.m.
- Category: Women's Basketball
- Published on Wednesday, 13 January 2010 22:07
