Lady Eagles Face Charleston in Quarterfinals of SoCon Tourney
3/7/2008 5:26:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - No. 4 seed Georgia Southern women's basketball will open up Southern Conference tournament play, Saturday (Mar. 8) at 9 a.m. versus No. 5 seed College of Charleston at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Saturday's contest with the Cougars (13-15, 9-9 SoCon) is the first between the two programs in tournament play. Georgia Southern (17-12, 13-5 SoCon) holds a 22-8 all-time series lead over CofC. GSU won the regular season series sweep over the Cougars with wins in January and February by a combined 40 points, extending the win streak over CofC to three games. In games played on neutral soil, the all-time series is tied, 1-1.
The Lady Eagles are in search of their third SoCon tournament title, hoping to add to their 1993 and 1994 tournament championships. Georgia Southern holds an all-time SoCon tournament series record of 20-13. Georgia Southern's tournament series record break-down is as follows: 1st Round: 2-0; Quarterfinals: 10-6; Semifinals: 6-3; Final: 2-4.
Last year's tournament saw GSU soar past UNC Greensboro in the quarterfinal round, 81-64. The next day, top-seeded Western Carolina outscored the Lady Eagles 73-59 in the semifinal game before falling to eventual tournament champion and No. 2 seed Chattanooga.
Going into Saturday's contest, the Lady Eagles are paced by seniors Tiffany Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) and Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) who both recently received all-SoCon honors by both the league's coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association (SCSMA).
Brown leads the team in points (11.5) and three-pointers (1.4) per game, and in free-throw percentage (.848). Brown's scoring average ranks seventh-best in the league. Atwood averages 11.3 points and pulls down a team-best 5.6 rebounds per contest, which both rank 12th in the conference. Sophomore guard Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) paces the team with 3.25 assists per game, a number that is sixth-best in the conference. Her 1.69 assist to turnover ratio is the best in the league and 66th in the nation.
College of Charleston's Jill Furstenburg, a member of the all-SoCon team, as voted by the SCSMA, leads the Cougars with 11.6 points per game and an 81.8 percent figure in free-throw shooting. Nikki Williams pulls down a team-high 6.8 points per contest, while Ashley Scott dished out a team-best 2.7 helpers per game. A consensus all-freshman team member, Tonia Gerty ranks among the top 15 in assists per game (2.52), behind teammates Scott and Furstenburg.
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 184-163 career and school record.
College of Charleston head coach Nancy Wilson, a 1973 graduate of Coker College, carries a 258-152 school slate in her 13th year at the helm of the Cougars. She holds a career record of 480-301 in her 26th year overall.
Georgia Southern Radio Network's Chris Blair will call each Lady Eagle basketball game throughout the tournament on 102.9 FM, WPMX in Statesboro. Fans can listen to or watch the webcast on the World Wide Web at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
With a win over the Cougars, the Lady Eagles would advance to the semifinal round of the tournament, Sunday (Mar. 9 at 12 p.m.) and play the winner of today's game (No. 1 seed Chattanooga versus No. 9 seed UNCG). The semifinals and final games will be broadcast on SportSouth.
Saturday's contest with the Cougars (13-15, 9-9 SoCon) is the first between the two programs in tournament play. Georgia Southern (17-12, 13-5 SoCon) holds a 22-8 all-time series lead over CofC. GSU won the regular season series sweep over the Cougars with wins in January and February by a combined 40 points, extending the win streak over CofC to three games. In games played on neutral soil, the all-time series is tied, 1-1.
The Lady Eagles are in search of their third SoCon tournament title, hoping to add to their 1993 and 1994 tournament championships. Georgia Southern holds an all-time SoCon tournament series record of 20-13. Georgia Southern's tournament series record break-down is as follows: 1st Round: 2-0; Quarterfinals: 10-6; Semifinals: 6-3; Final: 2-4.
Last year's tournament saw GSU soar past UNC Greensboro in the quarterfinal round, 81-64. The next day, top-seeded Western Carolina outscored the Lady Eagles 73-59 in the semifinal game before falling to eventual tournament champion and No. 2 seed Chattanooga.
Going into Saturday's contest, the Lady Eagles are paced by seniors Tiffany Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) and Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) who both recently received all-SoCon honors by both the league's coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association (SCSMA).
Brown leads the team in points (11.5) and three-pointers (1.4) per game, and in free-throw percentage (.848). Brown's scoring average ranks seventh-best in the league. Atwood averages 11.3 points and pulls down a team-best 5.6 rebounds per contest, which both rank 12th in the conference. Sophomore guard Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) paces the team with 3.25 assists per game, a number that is sixth-best in the conference. Her 1.69 assist to turnover ratio is the best in the league and 66th in the nation.
College of Charleston's Jill Furstenburg, a member of the all-SoCon team, as voted by the SCSMA, leads the Cougars with 11.6 points per game and an 81.8 percent figure in free-throw shooting. Nikki Williams pulls down a team-high 6.8 points per contest, while Ashley Scott dished out a team-best 2.7 helpers per game. A consensus all-freshman team member, Tonia Gerty ranks among the top 15 in assists per game (2.52), behind teammates Scott and Furstenburg.
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 184-163 career and school record.
College of Charleston head coach Nancy Wilson, a 1973 graduate of Coker College, carries a 258-152 school slate in her 13th year at the helm of the Cougars. She holds a career record of 480-301 in her 26th year overall.
Georgia Southern Radio Network's Chris Blair will call each Lady Eagle basketball game throughout the tournament on 102.9 FM, WPMX in Statesboro. Fans can listen to or watch the webcast on the World Wide Web at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
With a win over the Cougars, the Lady Eagles would advance to the semifinal round of the tournament, Sunday (Mar. 9 at 12 p.m.) and play the winner of today's game (No. 1 seed Chattanooga versus No. 9 seed UNCG). The semifinals and final games will be broadcast on SportSouth.
 | Tickets are still on
sale for the Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at the
North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. The tournament begins on
Thursday, Mar. 6 and concludes on Monday, Mar. 10. Secure your seats
through the GSU ticket office by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by clicking
the “Buy Your Tickets Here” link on the www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com
main page. |
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