Eagles Fall at No. 11 Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – The Georgia Southern women's basketball team held the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils to their lowest scoring total this season and 20 points below their scoring average Thursday (November 19) on their home court. J'Lisia Ogburn led the Lady Eagles with 11 points, but could not lead Georgia Southern past Duke as the Blue Devils captured a 69-42 inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The loss dropped Georgia Southern to 1-1 on the year, while Duke improved to 2-1 overall. Duke was held to 43.5 percent shooting from the floor in the win as the Lady Eagles shot 34.0 percent. Pulling down only 19 offensive rebounds to an average of 25 entering the game, Duke recorded 46 total boards, 27 defensive.

“I can't tell you the last time I've been this proud of the team,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “We just held Duke to 69 points on their floor for a team that averages 90.5 points a game. It was an incredible effort from our team. We were pressed for a full 40 minutes and I thought we handled their pressure pretty well. The team didn't quit and I'm extremely proud of that.”

A trio of treys from three different Lady Eagles opened the second half for Georgia Southern as Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.), Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) and Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) each hit one from beyond the arc. A 9-0 run early in the second half closed the score to 58-35 over a three minute span that culminated with Frye's second trey of the stanza.

A three-pointer from Jasmine Thomas ended a seven minute Blue Devil scoring drought before Duke widened its lead back to 30-points at 69-39 with two minutes remaining. Senior Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) recorded the final field goal of the game, nailing a three-pointer for the final score of 69-42.

Six rebounds from Geiger led the Lady Eagles for the game, while Ogburn's 11 points followed by Frye's eight points guided Georgia Southern. Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) paced the Eagles with three of their 12 assists. The Lady Eagles recorded 10 steals in the game, led by Krista Tate's (Atlanta, Ga.) three.

The Blue Devils had five players in double-digits. Thomas led with 12, while three Blue Devils tied for second adding 11 each. Bridgette Mitchell picked up a team-high eight boards, six offensive, of Duke's 46.

Foul trouble early in the first half hindered the Lady Eagles as Duke entered the double bonus with 7:30 remaining. A trio of treys from Navarro and Kayla Dayton (two) (Monroe, N.C.) highlighted the opening stanza for Georgia Southern. Ogburn and Dayton led the Lady Eagles, who shot 29.2 percent for the half, with six points each. Duke, meanwhile, hit 50.0 percent from the floor led by Joy Cheek's 10 points and five boards.

The No. 11 Blue Devils opened the game with a 4-0 lead off jumpers from Keturah Jackson and Krystal Thomas before Ogburn put the Lady Eagles on the board with a field goal, 4-2. Navarro followed connecting on a three from beyond the arc to give Georgia Southern a 5-4 lead. Duke's offense erupted as the Blue Devils took a 20-point lead off a three-pointer from Kathleen Scheer, 31-11.

The Lady Eagles held the Blue Devils at 31 for three minutes while freshman Dayton hit her first three-pointer of the opening stanza pitting the score at 31-14. After a jumper from Vernerey, Dayton added her second three-pointer for a 33-17 score. A pair of free throws from Jasmine Thomas put the score at 35-17 at halftime.

Georgia Southern returns to the court traveling to Auburn, Tuesday, November 24. Tip off in Auburn, Ala. is slated for 6 p.m. (CT).

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