Box Score | VIDEO: GSU coach Chris Vozab

STATESBORO, Ga. – Justin Taylor matched her career high with 25 points, and her lone 3-pointer of the night with 39 seconds left proved to be the game winner as Western Carolina topped Georgia Southern, 74-72, in a Southern Conference women's basketball contest Monday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Taylor's triple helped thwart a valiant comeback try by Georgia Southern as the Eagles (9-18, 7-9) erased a 14-point Catamount lead and took a one-point advantage when Angel McGowan got a steal and fed Anna Claire Knight for a layup with 54 seconds left. Knight was fouled on the play and sank her free throw to put GSU on top 69-68.

Taylor got the ball on the left wing and looked to drive put pulled up for the 3-pointer instead and swished it home. Knight missed a jumper on the other end, and Erika Joseph got the rebound and was fouled. Joseph sank both free throws to put the Catamounts (13-15, 7-10) ahead by four points.

McGowan answered with a 3-pointer from the corner with 10.3 seconds left, and the Eagles fouled Taylor. The junior made 1-of-2 from the line, leaving the margin at two points. MiMi DuBose drove baseline to try to tie the game but was stripped by Alex Abraham on her way to the bucket, and time ran out.

"We finally were being aggressive on both ends of the floor," said Georgia Southern coach Chris Vozab. "I thought for too much of the game we were on our heels, defensively a half-step late to shooters or mid-range shooters, and I thought offensively we were getting rushed. We made much better decisions when we made that run."

DuBose finished with a season-high 23 points and matched her career-high with eight rebounds. Knight tallied 17 points and six rebounds, and McGowan scored 17 points.

Taylor was 9-of-19 from the floor, 1-of-5 from 3-point range and hit 6-of-7 free throws. Hana Haden chipped in 13 points, hitting 3-of-5 from long distance, and Lindsay Simpson scored seven points.

Western Carolina used a 17-4 run to turn a one-point lead into a 14-point cushion midway through the second half. The margin still stood at 14 points following the eight-minute media timeout before the Eagles went on a 12-4 run, capped by a Knight triple, to make the score 65-59 with 3:40 to play.

With the Eagles down six points with 2:05 remaining, McGowan hit a layup and was fouled but missed the free throw, leaving the margin at four. The Eagles got a defensive stop, and DuBose drew a foul and made both freebies to cut the lead to two points with 1:22 left. McGowan stole a Catamount pass on their next possession and drove down the court where she found Knight for the 3-point play and a 69-68 GSU lead.

"I thought we got down on ourselves and lost our fire for a little bit there, and I thought when we got it back we saw how we can play when we take care of the little things and when we are the aggressors," said Vozab.

The Catamounts made 9-of-22 from the 3-point line, their second-highest total of the season. Georgia Southern, which entered the game leading the league in free-throw shooting, made just 14-of-22.

The Eagles return to action Friday at Wofford in a 6 p.m. contest in Benjamin Johnson Arena.

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