Women?s Basketball Resumes Road Swing at Alabama
11/20/2011 10:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Monday's contest marks the eighth encounter between the two teams, with Alabama leading the series 6-1. Last season, the Lady Eagles outscored Alabama 38-35 in the second half, but fell short 65-55 in a hard-fought game at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles (1-2) picked up their first win of the season on Thursday when freshman Anna Claire Knight (Dublin, Ga.) hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to edge Mercer 57-55. Georgia Southern trailed by 10 points at halftime, but rallied in the second half behind Meredyth Frye's (Fredericksburg, Va.) 17 points and Tashayla Steede's (Marietta, Ga.) nine rebounds. The Eagles out-rebounded the Bears 48 to 35 and Georgia Southern was clutch from the free-throw line, hitting 17 of 18 from the stripe.
"It felt good to get that first win on Thursday and a win on the road this early in the season is really big for us," said Head Coach Rusty Cram. "We were mentally tougher in the second half and we stayed calm and focused. We were able to get good looks at the basket and we did a great job of finishing at the rim or on the free throw line."
Monday night's game is the second of five straight the Eagles will play on the road. Alabama (3-1) is looking to make it two straight at home after defeating Northwestern State 78-52 at Foster Auditorium on Friday. The Crimson Tide is led by junior Meghan Perkins, who is averaging 15.0 points per game this season.
"Alabama is going to be exceptionally quick and athletic and we're going to have play really well to beat them on their court," said Cram. "We're going to have to do a good job of handling their pressure, running our offense and avoid getting into a running game with them. If we're patient on offense and stick to playing our game, it should be a pretty good ball game."
Monday's game can be heard online at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/Eaglevision. Justin Baker will have the play-by-play story, beginning 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
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