Women?s Hoops to Entertain Furman, Monday

STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern women’s basketball team will look to continue its five-game home-winning streak, Monday night, as it entertains Furman at Hanner Fieldhouse. The Southern Conference clash, the second installment of a four-game homestand, is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Georgia Southern improved to 8-8 overall and 4-1 in conference play after a recent 60-54 victory over Wofford on Saturday (Jan. 12), maintaining its flawless home record (5-0). The win was the team’s third-consecutive victory on the season, its longest such streak since last season’s four-game streak spanning from Nov. 25 to Dec. 13, 2006.

The Lady Eagles will face a Furman squad that is looking to end a five-game conference skid. Furman dropped to 5-11 overall and 0-5 in league play after falling at the College of Charleston by a 56-40 decision (Jan. 12).

The all-time series between the two programs dates back to 1986 with Georgia Southern maintaining a 22-17 advantage over the Lady Paladins. In their last meeting, Furman claimed a 75-63 victory over GSU (Jan. 27, 2007) at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C., which snapped a two-game GSU win-streak over the Lady Paladins. Georgia Southern last defeated Furman in their first of two meetings last season, defeating the visiting Lady Paladins 71-59 (Dec. 30, 2006) in Statesboro.

Tiffany Brown’s (Waxhaw, N.C.) 20-point outing helped lead GSU to its most recent victory over Wofford as she paces the team with 12.0 points per contest. She is one point shy of scoring her 1,000^th-career point and joining the club with 16 other Lady Eagles. Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) follows with 10.8 points per game while leading the team in the rebounds category at 5.6 per game. Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.) averages 9.5 points per game and tallies a team-best 1.4 steals per game. Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) averages a team-best 3.4 assists per game.

Furman’s Kali Holtfreter and Katie Johnson pace the team with 12.2 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Johnson pulls down a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game, while teammate Chrissy Phelps tallies team-highs in steals (2.2) and assists (3.5) 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 174-159 career and school record.

Furman head coach Sam Dixon, a 1978 graduate of the College of Wooster comes to Statesboro with a 78-85 school and career slate in his seventh season with the Lady Paladins.

The game will be called by Georgia Southern Radio Network’s Ryan Chambers on 102.9 FM, WPMX in Statesboro. Fans can listen to or watch the webcast on the World Wide Web at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.

Category: Women's Basketball

Published on Sunday, 13 January 2008 00:18