Knight Drains Buzzer Beater in Win Over Mercer
11/18/2011 3:57:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MACON, Ga. - Anna Claire Knight (Dublin, Ga.) hit a buzzer beater right before time expired to give the Georgia Southern Lady Eagles their first win of the season on the road at the Mercer Bears. The Lady Eagles, who trailed for the majority of the game, rallied in the second half to win 57-55 at the University Center.
"What a player," said Head Coach Rusty Cram. "Her and Tashayla Steede both got ice in their veins. Those kids are winners from day one and always have been. Anna Claire did not have the best of nights tonight but she stayed focused and worked through it."
Georgia Southern (1-2) held a 55-53 lead with 21 seconds remaining in the half, but Alicia Williams drained a floater in the paint to tie the contest at 55-55 with 6.2 seconds remaining. Junior Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) drove down the court with six seconds remaining and dished the ball to the freshman, who was unguarded outside the paint near the baseline.
"The play worked well coming down the floor," stated Cram about the final play. "We got Meredyth the ball, and it was her choice whether to take it in or dump it. When they doubled her up it left Anna Claire open, and she had the presence of mind to find Anna Claire, who knocked it down."
Frye posted a season-high 17 points to lead the Lady Eagles and pulled down seven of the team's 48 rebounds. She also hit five of six free throws in the final three minutes to help seal the win. Freshman Tashayla Steede (Marietta, Ga.) recorded her second-straight start and recorded a season-best nine boards to lead the team in that category.
"These kids needed to win and to win on the road," said Cram. "We have been stressing the fact that we didn't do well on the road last year, which pretty much determined our season. This year we wanted to get off to a better start."
Georgia Southern rallied in the second half, cutting the Bear's 10-point halftime lead to two points on a pair of free throws by Frye with 2:36 to play. The junior guard tied the game at 52-52 just seconds after with another pair of free throws. MiMi DuBose (Jefferson, Ga.), who played only nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, put Georgia Southern on top, 54-52, a minute later.
"We were never in sync the first half," stated Cram. "The second half we started getting it together slowly and methodically, and I though the last six to eight minutes that we really executed well."
Mercer (0-3) led by as many as 13 points in the first half. The Bears scored 14 points off of 17 Lady Eagle turnovers. Briana Williams was limited to 12 minutes in the period due to two fouls but still managed to score nine points in the opening period.
Led by Precious Bridges' 14 points, Mercer had three players score in double figures. Williams tallied only two points in the second half and finished with 11, while Alicia Williams scored 12 points on 2-for-7 shooting from behind the arc.
The Lady Eagles continue a five-game road swing at Alabama Monday. Tip-off from Foster Auditorium is set for 7:30 p.m. est.
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