SAN ANTONIO ? The Georgia Southern women's basketball team leaves the comfort of Hanner Fieldhouse to travel to San Antonio and compete in the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic, this holiday weekend, facing a tough schedule versus Arkansas and tournament host UTSA.
Played at the Convocation Center, the game versus the Lady Razorbacks is slated for 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, while the clash with the Roadrunners on Saturday will begin at 4 p.m. (CT). Also competing in the four-team tournament is New Orleans.
Georgia Southern (2-2) is coming off a recent home victory over non-conference foe Jacksonville State (Nov. 20) in a 63-44 decision. Arkansas (4-0) hopes to continue its current win-streak after coming off a recent 69-52 win over Tulsa (Nov. 20).
The Lady Eagles look to pick up their first win over the Lady Razorbacks in only their second meeting all-time. In their first clash back in 1997, Arkansas defeated Georgia Southern in the Arkansas Dial Soap Classic in Fayetteville, Ark. by a 104-71 score.
Leading the Lady Eagles in scoring and rebounding is senior guard Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) with 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. Following is sophomore forward Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) averaging 9.5 points and 5.3 boards. Junior guard Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.) also averages 9.5 points per game, having recently posted her first-career double-double versus Jacksonville State (Nov. 20) with 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Head coach Rusty Cram, who has amassed the most career wins at Georgia Southern, tallies a 169-153 record in his 12th year at the helm.
Arkansas is led by Lauren Ervin with 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Ayana Brereton and Whitney Jones follow with 12.5 points and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Although it is his first year at Arkansas, head coach Tom Collen has posted a 207-70 overall record in nine years.
The Lady Eagles will have little time to rest as they turn around the next day to play host UTSA. In its first meeting with the Southland Conference contender, Georgia Southern will again face a currently undefeated opponent as the Roadrunners claim a 3-0 early-season record.
The Roadrunners will continue their five-game homestand this weekend, after having recently defeated Wichita State, Sunday (Nov. 18) in a 68-60 decision.
UTSA currently has three players scoring in double figures. Whitney York leads the team with 16.7 points per game. She is followed by Terrie Davis with 13.7 points per game, and Courtney Laing with 12.3 points. Amanda Foster tallies a team-best 10.0 rebounds per contest.
Fans can follow the live stats of the game versus Arkansas at www.goutsa.com. Audio and video of the game versus UTSA on Saturday will be streamed on-line via the same Web site.
Post-game recap and statistics will be posted on www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
