STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern (2-1) is set to face UNC Asheville (0-3) for the second time in school history on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Lady Eagles are coming off their first loss of the season to #20 Auburn 71-45 on Wednesday. Georgia Southern kept it close for most of the first half, but the Tigers eventually pulled away in the second.
One bright spot defensively for Georgia Southern was holding Auburn's All-American DeWanna Bonner to 11 points. The senior guard came into the game averaging 27 on the season.
Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) set a new career high in rebounds against Auburn with 10 boards, which is the second 10+ rebound performance of the season by a Lady Eagle.
The Georgia Southern offense is led by senior guard Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.). She has scored in double-digits in all three games this season, including a 23 point performance against Florida Atlantic. Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) is the only other Lady Eagle currently scoring in double figures. The junior guard is averaging 10 points and 4.3 assists per game.
UNC Asheville started their season at home in the UNC Asheville Tip-Off Tournament but lost both games by double figures. The Bulldogs then went on the road to face SoCon member Furman. The Paladins held UNC Asheville to 19 percent shooting and won 71-30.
Chioma Okoli leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 11.7 a game, which is even more impressive since the team only averages 43. The sophomore guard scored 10+ points in the first two games and just missed another double-digit performance against Furman.
This will be just the second meeting of these two schools, with Georgia Southern winning the first ever meeting 107-60 on December 15, 1990.
The game will be broadcast live on Eagle 102.9 FM as Ryan Chambers will call the action. For all ticket needs fans can call the Georgia Southern ticket office at 800-GSU-WINS.
