Box scoreSTATESBORO, Ga. – Anna Claire Knight and
Alexis Foulks each netted 17 points, and all 12 Eagles who played scored as Georgia Southern defeated Coastal Georgia 114-60 in a women's basketball exhibition contest Thursday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Six Georgia Southern players scored in double figures, and the Eagles shot 55.7 percent for the game.
Sierra Kirkland netted 15 points, and
Sierra Butler added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Abby Hix scored 12, and
Jessica Marcus chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Knight finished with nine boards, and Foulks added five as the Eagles outrebounded the Mariners 59-40 in the game. Georgia Southern outscored the Mariners 66-28 in the paint.
"We were really pleased with the different ways we scored in the paint," said Georgia Southern coach
Chris Vozab. "We scored with high lows with our post players, we scored in transition and we scored on drives. I was proud of our kids because we really kept attacking the whole game."
Kierstan Green tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead Coastal Georgia, while Statesboro native Olivia Melvin posted 18 points and seven boards. Janne Tullius chipped in 13 points.
Georgia Southern's defense forced 19 Mariner turnovers and held Coastal Georgia to 28 percent shooting from the floor, including 2-for-16 from 3-point range.
Leading 7-5, the Eagles used a 19-4 run midway through the first half to take control of the contest. Seven different Eagles scored during the spurt with Foulks leading the way with five points. A 12-4 run late in the frame, capped with a free throw by
Briana Jones, made the margin 27 points, and the Eagles went into the locker room with a 52-24 cushion.
Georgia Southern started the second frame with a 12-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Hix, to extend the lead to 64-24. A jumper by
Jakayvea Akins gave the Eagles their largest lead of the contest at 112-55 with 1:20 remaining.
All seven freshmen on the Georgia Southern roster played with five getting double-digit minutes. The rookies combined for 62 points and 27 rebounds.
"They were aggressive, and they were confident," said Vozab. "There weren't that many nerves, and what nerves they had, they played through by being intense and making plays on the defensive end of the floor."
The Eagles open the regular season at Lipscomb Friday, Nov. 14, in a noon tipoff. Georgia Southern plays its home opener against Jacksonville Nov. 18, in a doubleheader with the Eagle men's team. The women's game is set to tip off at 5 p.m.
Season tickets are on sale now for a substantial savings off the single-game price. General admission season tickets start at just $65 with reserved seats available starting at $90. Fans can purchase a reserved combo ticket for men's and women's games for $120.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com.
