Turnovers Hurt Eagles in Loss to Western Carolina
2/5/2010 2:14:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Georgia Southern improved its shooting in the second half, but costly turnovers converted into 22 points for Western Carolina and an 83-68 Catamount win.
Colby Wohlleb (Boca Raton, Fla.) scored a game-high and career-best 22 points with six of the Eagles' seven three-point baskets. Rory Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) pulled down a career-best nine rebounds and tied a career best with five blocks.
Five Catamounts scored in double figures and Western Carolina shot 51.5 percent for the game while causing 16 Eagle turnovers.
Western Carolina had baskets by five different Catamount players and took a double-digit lead four minutes into the second half, 53-39. Wohlleb hit two three-point baskets early in the period, then Spencer added two jumpers to help the Eagles. Georgia Southern cut the lead to seven, 53-60, as it had an 8-3 run over three minutes with field goals by Ben Drayton III (St. Marys, Ga.), Wohlleb, Tyler Troupe (Gallatin, Tenn.) and Johntavious Rucker (Decatur, Ga.), but WCU responded with an 8-3 run of its own.
Both teams struggled with their next few possessions, but the Catamounts picked up three free throws and a three-pointer by Brandon Giles and a short jumper by Adrian Gailliard. Willie Powers III hit two straight jumpers to help the cause, but two quick WCU baskets inside kept the Eagles out of reach, 75-60, at the 4:34 mark. Wohlleb had 14 of his points and four of his treys in the second half.
Georgia Southern could not get into an offensive or defensive rhythm at the beginning of the game, but was within two points of Western Carolina, 25-23, at the 8:01 mark of the first period. Over the next four minutes, the Catamounts would run off eight points to a single basket by Powers to take a 35-25 lead. WCU had the 42-31 halftime lead. The Catamounts, called for 12 fouls in the first half, connected on 52 percent of their shots and had a slight advantage on the boards, 22-19.
Spencer, Powers and Drayton had 11 points each to round out Georgia Southern's scoring. Powers added seven assists for the night. WCU's Brandon Giles had 16 of his 19 points in the first half while Gaillard had 15 off 7-7 shooting from the field.
WCU is 18-5 on the season with a 8-3 mark in the SoCon. One of its three conference losses was to the Eagles at Hanner on January 9.
The Eagles (6-18, 3-8) head to Davidson for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.
