Second-half Surge Propels Georgia Southern past Stetson
12/15/2010 4:46:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DELAND, Fla. - The Georgia Southern Women's Basketball team held Stetson to 26 percent shooting from the field and created 13 turnovers in the second half to retake the lead and eventual 54-49 win over Stetson Tuesday. Senior guard Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) led all scorers with 20 points, scoring 13 in the second half. Senior Logan Youngblood (Sylvester, Ga.) contributed eight points and had three of GSU's eight steals in the second period to spark the Lady Eagle comeback.
A trey by Lady Eagle guard MiMi DuBose (Jefferson, Ga.) in the opening minute of the second half set the stage for a GSU rally. A 10-4 run, which included five points from a Navarro layup and three-pointer, a DuBose three and two free throws by Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) put the Lady Eagles out in front by four, 36-32. Georgia Southern would add onto its lead with Youngblood providing the only scoring with six points in two and a half minutes, GSU 43-37.
While the Lady Eagles struggled a little bit with their shooting in the second half, the Hatters hurt themselves more, managing only three points with six turnovers in a six-minute period.
The Lady Eagles took an eight-point lead, 45-37, at the 9:34 mark of the second half before Natasha Graboski would score seven of the Hatters next 10 points to pull within one point. Tierra Brown hit a jumper coming out of a timeout to give Stetson the lead 49-48, its first since the opening minutes of the period. Brown's basket would prove to be the last for the Hatters as the Lady Eagle defense held Stetson scoreless the rest of the game.
Youngblood scored a layup following a an offensive rebound from a three-point miss to retake the lead, 50-49, with 1:25 left in the game. Navarro connected on four straight free throws to seal the Lady Eagle victory, 54-49.
The two teams tied five times in the first half before Stetson tacked six points onto its total, 21-15, while the Lady Eagles turned the ball over twice and had four missed shots. Two free throws by Danielle Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) and a basket by Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) brought Georgia Southern to within two with just over three minutes in the half. The Hatters put up six points in under a minute to take a 27-21 advantage, but Tate fed Navarro for a jumper to make the score 27-23 going into the break.
Georgia Southern (2-8, 0-2) returns to Statesboro for a game against Southern Conference rival Chattanooga on Saturday, December 18th, 2010 at 12 p.m. as part of an Eagle basketball doubleheader. Following the conclusion of the Lady Eagle basketball game, the men's team will play host to South Alabama.
All students, faculty, and staff of all Bulloch County public and private elementary, middle and high schools will receive $1 admission for the doubleheader. Tickets may be purchased online at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/tickets with the promo code "SCHOOL" to receive the special price. Fans can also purchase $1 tickets by mentioning their Bulloch County School at the Athletics Ticket Windows at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Follow the Eagle teams on GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or get short updates on facebook.com/GSAthletics or twitter.com/GSAthletics. For in-game scoring, visit twitter.com/GSScores or follow live stats by clicking on the "live stats" link in the schedule section at the bottom of the athletics website www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
