Women's Basketball Falls at Appalachian State 64-45
12/2/2011 2:20:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BOONE, N.C. - Georgia Southern Women's Basketball (2-5, 0-1) dropped its Southern Conference opener 64-45 at Appalachian State (5-1, 1-0) Thursday night at the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers converted 24 turnovers into 25 points and scored 15 second chance points to earn their fifth-straight win of the season.
"I just didn't think we competed tonight," said Head Coach Rusty Cram. "Appalachian State came out ready to play. The turnovers and second chance points really hurt us. We did some good things tonight, but we didn't get the consistency we need to compete against one of the league's best teams."
Appalachian State jumped out to an early 14-4 lead behind two three-pointers and ten points from forward Anna Freeman. Georgia Southern responded with back-to-back layups by Samantha Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Janay Wilson (Warner Robins, Ga.) to pull to within 14-8 with 13:23 remaining in the first half.
The Mountaineers went on an 8-2 run to go up 22-8, before back-to-back layups and a pair of free throws by sophomore Aishya Wofford (Augusta, Ga.) made it 22-14 with 5:18 remaining. Appalachian State swung momentum back their way with a 10-3 run, before freshman Anna Claire Knight (Dublin, Ga.) drained two buckets in the final minute to make it 35-22 at the break.
In the second half, Georgia Southern continued to struggle with turnovers and Appalachian State took advantage, extending the lead to 50-28 with 10:32 remaining. The Lady Eagles rallied to pull within 52-37 at the 6:13 mark, converting five free throws and a pair of field goals by Wilson and freshman Tashayla Steede (Marietta, Ga.). That's as close as GSU would get, as the two teams traded baskets, before the Mountaineers finished on a 6-2 run for the final margin.
Georgia Southern resumes conference play at home on Monday, Dec. 5 when they take on Furman at Hanner Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the conference matchup can be seen live on ESPN3.
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