STATESBORO, Ga. ? The Georgia Southern women’s basketball team concludes its four-game homestand, Saturday (Jan. 26) as it hosts Western Carolina at Hanner Fieldhouse. The Southern Conference scuffle will decide which team takes sole possession for second place in the league.
Georgia Southern comes into Saturday’s bout with a 10-8 overall and 6-1 conference record, while Western Carolina tallies a 14-5 overall and 6-1 league slate, both teams tied for second in the league standings. Chattanooga (8-0) claims the top spot in the league.
Georgia Southern recently defeated College of Charleston (Jan. 19) by a 64-47 decision, maintaining its flawless home record (7-0). The win was the team’s fifth-consecutive victory on the season, its longest such window since going on a five-game streak spanning from Dec. 12, 2004 to Jan. 4, 2005.
The Lady Eagles will face a Western Carolina squad that is also looking to continue its own win-streak ? six games. The Catamounts recently defeated Furman 77-62 in Greenville, S.C. (Jan. 21).
Georgia Southern leads the all-time series, 25-11, since their first meeting in 1982 when the Lady Eagles claimed a 73-65 home win. The last time the Lady Eagles defeated WCU was an exciting 83-81, double-overtime victory in Cullowhee (Feb. 12, 2007). Western Carolina last defeated GSU at the Southern Conference semifinal game (Mar. 2, 2007) that saw WCU oust GSU, 73-59. Western Carolina holds a two-game win-streak over the Lady Eagles in Statesboro.
Senior guard Tiffany Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) leads the team with 12.3 points per game while classmate Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) follows with 11.1 points per contest. Atwood pulls down a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game and is among the league leaders in both scoring and rebounds. Sophomore guard Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) paces the team with 3.0 assists per game, and is consistently among the nation’s leaders in assist to turnover ratio (2.00).
Western Carolina is led in scoring by Brooke Johnson and Monique Dawson with 11.9 and 11.3 point per game, respectively. Teammate Chevon Keith pulls down a team- and league-best 8.7 rebounds per contest.
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 177-159 career and school record. Cram claims a 15-9 record versus the Catamounts.
Western Carolina head coach Kellie Harper, a 1999 graduate of Tennessee, comes to Statesboro with a 65-49 school record in her fourth year at the helm of the Lady Catamounts.
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.
Georgia Southern has dedicated Saturday, January 26 as "Pack the House in Pink" day. All students and fans are encouraged to wear pink to show support for the fight against breast cancer.
