Men's Basketball Begins Three Game Road Trip Thursday
1/7/2009 5:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Undefeated at 2-0 in the Southern Conference, the Eagles begin a three-game road trip Thursday at The Citadel.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern (4-6, 2-0) is 2-0 in the league for the second straight season and searching for a 3-0 mark for the first time since 2005-06.
“The biggest thing with our team is I want to see them getting better," said head coach Jeff Price. "We're going to have to create some tempo against The Citadel and force some turnovers and play that way like we always do. I always focus on the opponent but right now we're just really focused on trying to get our team better. If can continue to improve we have a chance to be pretty good. The last couple of games we've made some strides but we can't take steps back, we just need to keep getting better.”
The trip to McAlister Field House has always been a tough one for Georgia Southern. Over the last eight meetings in Charleston, The Citadel leads 5-3. But since a 74-69 overtime loss in 2007, the Eagles have won four straight.
“I don't know why (that is) I just know you can't take The Citadel for granted. I know that because I've been there a lot of times.”
The Citadel (6-7, 1-1) ranks second in the conference in scoring defense (66.1 ppg) and play the second-lowest scoring games in the SoCon, behind only Samford. The Bulldogs are giving up 53 ppg in two league outings.
“The Citadel pushes it a little bit more than Samford does but they are really patient in their halfcourt offense. They're hard to guard because they run motion and we're going to have to take care of the basket and not give up backdoor cuts and easy shots. Style-wise they're similar but they're going to be a little more aggressive than Samford.”
The Citadel relies on senior Demetrius Nelson for the inside game and sophomore Cameron Wells for the perimeter game. Nelson is first in the league shooting 64.9% from the floor which would rank 10th in the nation but he falls four made field goals under the minimum requirement. Wells was the conference's Freshman of the Year and his 14.5 ppg average is eighth best in the SoCon.
“(Nelson) is a really good player. He didn't play last year because he was hurt so a lot of our guys aren't familiar with him. He's a great low-post player - he can score the ball, he can rebound, he's strong and we have a lot of concerns about him. And Cameron Wells is one of the best guards in the league.
GSU ended a three-game losing streak Saturday with a come-from-behind win over Chattanooga. Down nine with just under six minutes to play, the Eagles finished the game on an 18-5 run. One game prior at Florida, GSU attempted to rally from a 19-point deficit but was only able to get within three.
“If there's any positive, after looking at the tape, we didn't play very well against Chattanooga. We won the game but we have a lot of room for improvement.”
The Eagles were paced by Antonio Hanson who tallied a career-high 22 points, shooting 6-for-12 from 3-point land. He is averaging 19 ppg in his last two outings and has scored 16 or more three times in the last four games.
Sophomore Willie Powers totaled 17 points Saturday to put his average over the last four games at 17.3. He is converting 50.9% from the floor and dishing out 3.8 assists over that span.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern (4-6, 2-0) is 2-0 in the league for the second straight season and searching for a 3-0 mark for the first time since 2005-06.
“The biggest thing with our team is I want to see them getting better," said head coach Jeff Price. "We're going to have to create some tempo against The Citadel and force some turnovers and play that way like we always do. I always focus on the opponent but right now we're just really focused on trying to get our team better. If can continue to improve we have a chance to be pretty good. The last couple of games we've made some strides but we can't take steps back, we just need to keep getting better.”
The trip to McAlister Field House has always been a tough one for Georgia Southern. Over the last eight meetings in Charleston, The Citadel leads 5-3. But since a 74-69 overtime loss in 2007, the Eagles have won four straight.
“I don't know why (that is) I just know you can't take The Citadel for granted. I know that because I've been there a lot of times.”
The Citadel (6-7, 1-1) ranks second in the conference in scoring defense (66.1 ppg) and play the second-lowest scoring games in the SoCon, behind only Samford. The Bulldogs are giving up 53 ppg in two league outings.
“The Citadel pushes it a little bit more than Samford does but they are really patient in their halfcourt offense. They're hard to guard because they run motion and we're going to have to take care of the basket and not give up backdoor cuts and easy shots. Style-wise they're similar but they're going to be a little more aggressive than Samford.”
The Citadel relies on senior Demetrius Nelson for the inside game and sophomore Cameron Wells for the perimeter game. Nelson is first in the league shooting 64.9% from the floor which would rank 10th in the nation but he falls four made field goals under the minimum requirement. Wells was the conference's Freshman of the Year and his 14.5 ppg average is eighth best in the SoCon.
“(Nelson) is a really good player. He didn't play last year because he was hurt so a lot of our guys aren't familiar with him. He's a great low-post player - he can score the ball, he can rebound, he's strong and we have a lot of concerns about him. And Cameron Wells is one of the best guards in the league.
GSU ended a three-game losing streak Saturday with a come-from-behind win over Chattanooga. Down nine with just under six minutes to play, the Eagles finished the game on an 18-5 run. One game prior at Florida, GSU attempted to rally from a 19-point deficit but was only able to get within three.
“If there's any positive, after looking at the tape, we didn't play very well against Chattanooga. We won the game but we have a lot of room for improvement.”
The Eagles were paced by Antonio Hanson who tallied a career-high 22 points, shooting 6-for-12 from 3-point land. He is averaging 19 ppg in his last two outings and has scored 16 or more three times in the last four games.
Sophomore Willie Powers totaled 17 points Saturday to put his average over the last four games at 17.3. He is converting 50.9% from the floor and dishing out 3.8 assists over that span.
Georgia Southern Football Media Availability (3/3/26)
Tuesday, March 03
The GATA Zone - Women's Basketball Post Season
Tuesday, March 03
2026 Only For Southern
Thursday, February 26
2026 Georgia Southern Football Ticket Video
Wednesday, February 25
