Lady Eagles Host 13th Ranked Georgia Tuesday
11/15/2011 1:03:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women's Basketball team returns to the court at Hanner Fieldhouse Tuesday at 7 p.m. for another tough test with the 13th ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs.
"It won't be a much different opponent than what we saw the other night," said Head Coach Rusty Cram. "They will be more physical inside. Andy Landers is coaching them, and he always has them ready to play."
GSU (0-1) is coming off an 88-46 loss at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats on opening night. Covered up by a 48-16 first-half deficit, was a 40-30 second half in which the Lady Eagles shot 52.4% from the field.
Another bright spot was the hot start of the team's three freshmen. The trio combined for nearly half of the team's points and two members missed double figures by the slimmest of margins. Anna Claire Knight (Dublin, Ga.) and Tashayla Steede (Marietta, Ga.) both scored nine points, while Kayla Upchurch (Alpharetta, Ga.) added two points to bring the freshmen total to 20.
"It is a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is the freshmen did step up. Tashayla and Anna Claire both did a great job for us. Not to our surprise but at that level for the first game it may have been a little bit quicker than we thought," said Cram. "The sad part is it took two freshmen to get us competing instead of our upperclassmen. That is what is frustrating as a coach."
The Lady Eagles are at home for the final time in November before embarking on a five-game road swing. They return on December 5th to face Furman in the second SoCon game of the season.
Georgia (1-0) opened the year at home in Stegeman Coliseum with an 83-60 victory over TCU on Friday night. Junior Anne Marie Armstrong scored a career-high 22 points and three other Lady Bulldogs scored in double figures after Georgia forced 29 Horned Frog Turnovers.
"They are very athletic and experienced. They are big where they need to be and are very aggressive on the ball. They are just good.," said Cram. "Andy is really excited about this team. They use different looks that they can throw at you. They are quick, physical where they need to be, and they can shoot."
The Eagles are 6-8 in the all-time series at home but have not won a game against Georgia since 1981. The Lady Bulldogs hold a 21-9 advantage in the all-time series after a close 58-43 win last season in Athens.
"We rebounded with them last year; we handled the basketball and didn't turn the ball over. We also limited their points off transition. That is three major keys you have to do against Georgia," said Cram.
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