Georgia Southern Defeats Paine, 97-76
11/5/2011 2:14:00 AM | Men's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Men's Basketball recorded a balanced attack in the Eagles final tune-up game, a 97-76 win over Pain College on Friday night, November 4th, at Hanner Fieldhouse. Five Eagles reached double-figure scoring on the night, led by 22 from Ben Drayton III (St. Marys, Ga.).
The large crowd in attendance at Hanner Fieldhouse was treated to a preview of Georgia Southern basketball the way Coach Young wants to play. GSU pressured Paine College into 24 turnovers while playing up tempo basketball that earned 17 steals on the night. Senior Willie Powers III (Gainesville, Fla.) paced the tam with five takeaways to go with 15 points. He also led the team with seven assists.
"We had a great crowd tonight," said Head Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young. "Our fans made a lot of noise tonight and I feel like our guys really fed off of it. I'm excited to get back out here next Friday and see this place packed with Eagle fans."
Four of the five Eagle starters reached double-figures with Jelani Hewitt (Oakland Park, Fla.) draining three baskets from downtown to finish the night with 17 points. Sophomore Eric Ferguson (Statesboro, Ga.) added 14, including a soaring dunk in the second half that brought the crowd to its feet. He also had a team-high five rebounds, an honor he shared with freshman Kameron Dunnican (Sumter, S.C.), who had five points.
Marvin Baynham (Miami, Fla.) scored 12 of Georgia Southern's 21 bench points. He scored the points while playing just 16 minutes. The Eagles' fifth starter, Cameron Baskerville (Marietta, Ga.) scored eight points, but got into foul trouble which kept him from reaching double digits.
The Eagles shot 52.3% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. Paine College out-shot the Eagles with a 58.7% mark from the field and making 7-of-16 from three-point land.
Georgia Southern opens the 2011-12 season in one week against Valparaiso at Hanner Fieldhouse. The game on November 11th starts at 7:30 p.m. and closes out a basketball doubleheader from the home of Georgia Southern. The Lady Eagles play host to Arizona at 5:00 p.m. in their season opener.
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