Lady Eagles Force a Season-Best 31 Turnovers Enroute to a 57-41 Win
1/25/2011 2:18:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women's Basketball Team (9-12, 6-6) used a total team effort to pick up their seventh-straight home victory 57-41 over Wofford (6-12, 2-8) at Hanner Fieldhouse Monday, January 24th. The Lady Eagles had four players score in double figures and forced a season-best 31 turnovers to revenge a 78-66 loss to the Terriers earlier this season. Lacie Dowling (Nahunta, Ga.) not only scored the first points of her career but also scored 10 points in 14 minutes of action.
Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) led all scorers with 12 points and pulled down a team-best six rebounds. Dowling, Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) and Logan Youngblood (Sylvester, Ga.) all added 10 or more points in the game. Jordi Cook (Tunnel Hill, Ga.) also added seven points off the bench.
The Lady Eagles went with a new lineup that included Frye, Navarro, Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.), Danielle Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) and Youngblood. Youngblood and Spencer both started for the first time in their respective careers. Georgia Southern played all 12 players who were dressed for the game and played stellar defense.
The Lady Eagles forced 31 Wofford turnovers and held the Terriers to their lowest scoring output of the season. Georgia Southern held Wofford to under 50 points for just the fifth time this season and did not allow a player to score in double figures.
Wofford scored the first five points of the second half and cut the lead to six points, 28-22, but Georgia Southern responded with seven unanswered to jump back ahead by 11 points. The Terriers came back with a 10-0 run, but Dowling helped put the Lady Eagles back on top. The freshman guard drained a pair of back-to-back three pointers to put GSU back up by 12 points.
Georgia Southern forced 16 Wofford turnovers and used a 16-0 run to take a 28-17 halftime lead. Frye led the Lady Eagles in scoring with eight points and rebounding with five boards in the first half. GSU also got seven points and four steals from Navarro. Kelly Blake tied Frye with eight points and responded to a couple of Lady Eagle baskets with a pair of treys.
Mariah Masalin drained the first basket of the game and gave Wofford a 3-0 lead two minutes into the contest, but Georgia Southern exploded on a 16-0 run over the next seven minutes and led 16-3. Dowling capped off the run with her first career basket. The Lady Eagles got points from five different players and seven points from Navarro during the run. The Terriers cut the lead to 10 points, but GSU responded with a 7-0 run to jump back ahead 28-11 with 3:20 left in the first half.
The Lady Eagles will have a week off before their next contest at Samford next Monday. Georgia Southern will continue to seek its first road SoCon win of the season in Birmingham, Ala.
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