Eagles Second-Half Comeback Falls Short
1/24/2010 1:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Davidson hit five of six free throws in the final 63 seconds to take a 91-87 win over Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse Saturday. Down 21 points with 6:46 remaining in the game, Georgia Southern used a 22-4 run and shot 75 percent from the floor during the run to pull within three points, 83-86. The Wildcats survived the late scare as the Eagles resorted to fouling to regain possession. Senior guard Antonio Hanson (Ft. Worth, Texas) and junior guard Willie Powers III (Gainesville, Fla.) each had 16 points in the second half as the Eagles outscored the Wildcats 51-46. Powers scored seven of his points in the final 1:53 and Hanson had 12 of his 16 in the final 7:21 of the game.
With 25 points as the game-high scorer, Powers added eight assists to his stat line and Hanson had 23 total to pace Georgia Southern, his second consecutive 20-plus point game and fourth of the season. Colby Wohlleb (Boca Raton, Fla.) scored 14 points off five baskets, including four treys. Wohlleb had five rebounds to lead the Eagles. Three other GSU players had four each.
Six Davidson players finished with double figures with J.P. Kuhlman scoring 18 points and Will Archambault earning a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The Wildcats hit 76.2 percent from the field (16-21), but the Eagles gained possessions by forcing 15 turnovers. Georgia Southern shot over 50 percent in each half, ending the game at 52.3 percent.
The Wildcats took an early lead out of the gate, 5-0, but a three by Powers, jumper by Antoine Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) and free throws by Johnson and Spencer, gave the Eagles a brief 9-8 lead. Davidson hit two straight threes from Nik Cochran and Kuhlman to get to 15 points while Sandy Perry (Perth Amboy, N.J.) and Hanson each added jumpers and Ben Drayton III (St. Marys, Ga.) converted a layup to tie the score at 15 all. Davidson went back up by four with two free throws by Ben Allison and a dunk by Jake Cohen before Drayton scored another basket, a jumper in the lane at 8:56. Allison responded with a jumper on the other side of the floor to maintain a four-point advantage, 17-21.
Hanson hit his first three pointer of the game at 8:31 of the first half to get GSU within one point, 20-21. Kuhlman hit the first of two free throws and Brendan McKillop hit a three from a Kuhlman pass for a 25-20 Davidson lead. Rossiter worked for a shot in the lane and Davidson was now up by seven, 27-20. Over the next three minutes, however, Georgia Southern spun off a 10-4 run off two Wohlleb threes and baskets by Powers and Hanson to pull within one point at the 3:16 mark, 30-31.
Davidson responded with a 9-0 run over the next 90 seconds to pull its lead up to 10 points, 40-30. Perry hit a jumper in the paint to knock the lead down to eight, but the Eagles couldn't gain any advantage as Rossiter hit a jumper to counter a layup by Powers. Archaumbault hit a three with 35 seconds left in the half and Powers hit another jumper in the lane as the Eagles were down nine at the break, 36-45.
"I thought the two key words for us are urgency and maturity," said Eagles head coach Charlton "C.Y." Young. "We have to learn to play with a sense of urgency and not wait until we get into a hole. The first five minutes of the second half have been an Achilles heel for us and today was no different. Also, we have to get used to handling a little success. When we win a game, we have to be able to come back with the same focus. Now, we have to have the maturity to come back from a loss, get back on track and put up a great effort against The Citadel."
Georgia Southern continues its homestand with two games next Thursday and Saturday. The Citadel comes to Statesboro Thursday for a 7 p.m. game which has been designated as Military Appreciation Night. All military personnel who present their military ID are admitted free. On Saturday at 1 p.m., the Eagles welcome the College of Charleston. At halftime of that game, Chester Webb, the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in the history of the program, will be honored as his Georgia Teachers College jersey will be retired.
