Lady Eagles Hold on to Defeat Wofford, 60-54

STATESBORO, Ga. ? A key defensive play by Ashley Rivens led to Carolyn Whitney's late three-pointer with 23 seconds remaining, giving the Georgia Southern women's basketball team a six-point cushion to hold off a late Wofford rally, and claim a 60-54 victory at Hanner Fieldhouse, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 12).

Senior guard Tiffany Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) led all scorers with 20 points to help Georgia Southern remain undefeated at home (5-0) and improve to 8-8 overall and 4-1 in Southern Conference action.

Wofford was led by Liz Miller and Kelsi Koenig with 14 points, apiece, as the team falls to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in league play.

Wofford quickly produced a 7-0 lead as Georgia Southern was unable to make its first eight baskets within the first five minutes of the game. Senior forward Christa Waterman (Sugar Hill, Ga.) broke the drought with a jumper to give the Lady Eagles their first points of the game and cut Wofford's largest lead of the game ? seven points ? down to five.

Waterman's bucket was followed on the next possession by Nya Daley's (Toronto, Ont.) triple, which sparked a 10-2 scoring run over the next five minutes to give the Lady Eagles a 10-9 advantage with 10:54 remaining in the first stanza.

The lead changed nine more times before the break, and Wofford claimed a one-point edge, 29-28, over Georgia Southern going into halftime.

Georgia Southern was able to keep the game close, despite an off first half, going 11-of-38 (.289) from the field, compared to Wofford's 11-of-24 (.458) field-goal shooting. Wofford's 10 first-half turnovers hindered their effort, accounting for five GSU points. The Terriers converted two points off of four GSU turnovers in the first half.

Wofford's Miller led all scorers at the break with 12 points on 4-of-4 field-goal shooting, while Brown led the Lady Eagles with nine points.

Georgia Southern changed the momentum in the second half, thanks in part to Brown and Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) combining for 21 of GSU's 32 points in the second half. A steal by senior guard Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) in the first minute led to GSU's go-ahead bucket by sophomore J'Lisia Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.) and the Lady Eagles slowly built a 14-point lead, outscoring the Terriers 25-10 over the next 11 minutes.

Though the Lady Eagles managed to hold Wofford's leading scorer, Miller, to just two points in the second half, teammates Koenig and Mahogany Williams stepped up to combine for 14 points.

Finding her team down 53-39 with 9:12 remaining in the contest, Kathlyn Varno sank a free-throw that sparked a 12-2 Wofford run over the next six minutes. The run was capped by Summer Nichols' back-to-back free-throws and Wofford trailed by just four, 55-51, with 3:45 on the clock.

On the next possession, Brown responded with a pair of free-throws, herself, before Koenig knocked down a three-pointer with 1:42 remaining to close the gap to just three points, 57-54.

Key rebounds by sophomore forward Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Atwood, and a gutsy defensive play by Ashley Rivens (Charlotte, N.C.) that caused a jumpball preceding Whitney's triple, prevented Wofford from staging a successful rally. The Lady Eagles held on for the win, marking its 12^th-consecutive victory over the Terriers.

"Carolyn's (Whitney) three was major," said head coach Rusty Cram. "But it was the play before that, Ashley Rivens got on the floor for a loose ball and gave us the ball back in our possession the next trip on a jumpball. Had she not got down here and mixed it up on the floor, we might not have had that shot. So, good things happen when you hustle."

Georgia Southern improved its shooting in the second half, going 13-of-27 (.481) from the field, compared to Wofford's 8-of-34 (.235) shooting from the field, thanks in large part to a GSU bench that outscored Wofford 36-24.

Wofford claimed a 47-43 edge in the rebounds category and was led by Kelly Dwyer with nine boards. Atwood led the Lady Eagles in rebounds for the seventh time, pulling down nine boards on the day. She also dished out a game-high four assists.

Brown is one point shy of hitting the 1,000-points milestone and joining 16 other Lady Eagles to have accomplished such a feat.

Georgia Southern looks to continue its home-winning streak as it hosts Furman, Monday, January 14. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at Hanner Fieldhouse.

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Lady Eagles Hold on to Defeat Wofford, 60-54

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