Georgia Southern Men's Basketball Prepares for The Citadel
12/5/2009 6:29:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles are looking for consistent shooting performances from the field and to reap more benefits from their pesky defense. Georgia Southern has shot over 50 percent from the field only twice this year, with victories in both games, and posted a 48.4 field goal percentage in the win over Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Junior guard Willie Powers (Gainesville, Fla.) sets the pace and the offense for the Eagles at the point with 15.0 points and 4.9 assists per game. Senior shooting guard Antonio Hanson (Ft. Worth, Texas) has seven consecutive double-figure scoring games and is just two three-point goals away from tying Todd Shipley (1999-2001) for 10th on the Eagles' career list with 114 made. Ben Drayton III (St. Marys, Ga.) has been the leading scorer in the last two games with 21 vs. Troy and 15 at College of Charleston.
Rory Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) the top rebounder for GSU, is averaging 10.5 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.
The focus for Georgia Southern, however, has been on defense and hustle. Eagles Head Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young has set a goal of keeping opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field, and set premiums on defense and rebounding. Offensively, the goal is to play fast, but organized.
"Until we start making our shots, we have got to do a better job of defending and rebounding," Young said.
The Citadel is averaging 64.3 points per game, ninth in the league, to Georgia Southern's 75.5 scoring average, which currently ranks second among the 12 Southern Conference teams. The Bulldogs won both meetings last season, an 84-75 win at McAlister in January, and a 74-53 victory at Hanner Fieldhouse, but the Eagles have a 24-17 series advantage dating back their first contest in 1960.
Thursday night, despite 23 College of Charleston turnovers and 17 steals by Georgia Southern, the Cougars scratched their way back to take the 68-59 victory over the Eagles. Drayton scored 15 points and had a career-best six steals in his first start of the year to lead the Eagles. Powers chipped in 13 and Hanson had 10 points. Junior forward Rory Spencer led the Eagles on the boards with seven.
The Citadel lost to Davidson at home, 74-53, in its SoCon opener Thursday, with Zach Urbanus and Cameron Wells each scoring 23 points in the game. Davidson's Will Archambault and Jake Cohen had 21 and 20 points, respectively, and J.P. Kuhlman added 19 in the Wildcat win. Davidson took a 36-30 lead into the half and hit 52 percent of its shots in the second half to build its lead to as many as 15 points. The Wildcats hit 15 three-point baskets to the Bulldogs' six with Urbanus and Wells scoring 46 of The Citadel's 63 total points.
