Women's Basketball | 11/19/2016 3:48:00 PM

2016-17 GS WBB Quick Facts (PDF)
2016-17 GS WBB Media Guide (PDF)
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STATESBORO – Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday break, the Georgia Southern women's basketball team will play two more road games, both in the state of Alabama. The Eagles first travel to Jacksonville State on Sunday, Nov. 20 before taking on Southeastern Conference foe Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The game against the Crimson Tide will be featured on the SEC Network+ and the Watch ESPN App, the second time in three games the Eagles will have played on the ESPN family of networks.

SUNDAY GAME SNAPSHOT 
Georgia Southern vs. Jacksonville State
Sunday, Nov. 20   |  4:30 p.m. EST   |   Pete Mathews Coliseum (Jacksonville, Ala.)
Live Stats   |   Live Audio (GS Sports Network)

TUESDAY GAME SNAPSHOT 
Georgia Southern vs. Alabama
Tuesday, Nov. 22   |  8 p.m. EST   |   Coleman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Live Stats   |   Live Video (SEC Network+/Watch ESPN)   |   Live Audio (GS Sports Network)

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS (@JaxStateWBB)
Georgia Southern and Jacksonville State have faced off 10 times prior to Sunday's meeting with both sides claiming five wins. Both sides are undefeated at home with JSU owning a 4-0 record inside Pete Mathews Coliseum. Last season, the two tangled in Statesboro with the Eagles claiming a 60-56 overtime win on Dec. 4, 2015. The Georgia Southern win marked the second in a row for the 2015-16 Eagles after defeating Savannah State on the road a few days prior. The Eagles have won four of the last five games, including three in a row from Nov. 20, 2007 to Nov. 16, 2013.

The Gamecocks are coached by fourth-year head coach Rick Pietri. Pietri is 44-48 all-time, including 25-15 at home. JSU has opened the 2016-17 campaign with a 1-2 record in three games on the road including a win at Kennesaw State and losses at Florida State and Ole Miss. Sunday will mark the home-opener for the Gamecocks.

Through the first three games, Jacksonville State has averaged 59.0 points per contest while shooting .370 (68-184) from the field and .420 (21-50) from three-point range and have committed 14.7 turnovers per game. JSU has given up 66.7 points per game to their opposition, but those opponents have shot .399 (75-188) from the field and .308 (12-39) from beyond the arc.

Through three games, Briana Benson leads the Gamecocks with 12.8 points per game while shooting 40.0% (12-30) from the field, including eight three-pointers, a team-high. Benson and Rayven Pearson are tied for tops on the team with 7.0 rebounds per game. Gretchen Morrison, Ki-Ki Patterson and Destany McLin are the next highest scorers. Morrison has averaged 8.3 points per outing off 53.3% (8-15) shooting while Patterson and McLin both average 7.3 points per game. Morrison, McLin, Pearson and Lacey Buchanon have all started the first three games for Pietri and JSU.

2016-17 JSU Roster
2016-17 JSU Schedule
2016-17 JSU Statistics

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE (@AlabamaWBB)
Georgia Southern is 1-7 all-time against Alabama since the first meeting on Jan. 31, 1976. The Eagles won that first meeting 73-66, but the Crimson Tide has won the last seven meetings, including five-straight in Tuscaloosa. The two last met in a home-and-home series that saw Alabama travel to Statesboro during the 2010-11 season with the Eagles returning the favor the following year. In that series, Alabama claimed a 65-55 win on Nov. 19, 2010 in Hanner Fieldhouse and a 67-34 victory on Nov. 21, 2011 in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama is coached by fourth-year head coach Kristy Curry. Curry, who is in her 19^th year as a head coach overall, is 42-51 in Tuscaloosa, including a 15-16 record last season. To date, the Tide are 35-18 at home under Curry, including 3-0 so far this season. All three of Alabama's games this season have been at home and the Tide still have four games, including Tuesday's contest against GS, at home before the first road game.

Entering Tuesday's game, Alabama has averaged 84.3 points per game while holding their opponents, New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State and Lipscomb, to an average of 45.3 points per outing, a +39.0 scoring margin. The Tide has hit on 93 of its 192 (.484) attempts from the field and has held its three opponents to 27.0% (50-185) shooting, but neither Alabama nor the three foes have shot particularly well from three-point range. Alabama has hit on 13 of 44 (.295) from long range compared to 13 of 54 (.241) by the trio of foes.

Five players have averaged double-digit points so far this season, highlighted by Jordan Lewis' 14.7 and Shaquera Wade's 13.7 points per outing. Both are currently shooting well over 50.0% from the field, Lewis has hit on 58.1% (18-31) of her attempts from the field compared to 53.3% (16-30) for Wade. Lewis also leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game, just ahead of Ashley Williams' 6.7 boards. The other three players in double-figure scoring have been Meoshonti Knight with 12.7 points per game, Ashley Knight with 10.7 and Hannah Cook with 10.3. Lewis, Wade, Meoshonti Knight, Cook and Williams have been the starting five in all three games for Alabama.

2016-17 UA Roster
2016-17 UA Schedule
2016-17 UA Statistics

LAST TIME OUT
Despite 22 points from senior Angel McGowan and a career-high nine rebounds by senior Alexis Sams, the Georgia Southern women's basketball team fell 58-47 on the road at Clemson Wednesday night inside Littlejohn Coliseum. The Eagles led 16-10 after the first quarter, but 20 turnovers hampered the Eagles' efforts down the stretch.

GS shot 34.6% (18-52) from the field, but the Eagles hit on just five of their 24 looks (20.8%) from three-point range. Georgia Southern was also 6-for-9 (66.7%) from the free throw line.

McGowan led all scorers with 22 points, six shy of her career high of 28. The senior from Greenville, S.C., playing with a strong contingent of family and friends in attendance, went 7-for-18 (38.9%) from the field and hit four three-pointers. The four treys were just one shy of her career high.

Patrice Butler saw her streak of consecutive games finishing in double figures come to an end after 11 games as she was the second-highest scorer for Georgia Southern with eight points. She was also second on the team with seven boards as Sams led the Eagles with her nine, three offensive and six off the defensive glass.

The Tigers shot just 32.8% (21-64) from the field, but didn't score any points in the final 4:47 of the game. Clemson received 40 points from its bench and scored 21 off the Eagles' 20 turnovers.

Three Tigers finished in double figures led by Kobi Thornton's 14 off the bench. The 6-2 freshman forward ended the night with a double-double as she also corralled in 11 rebounds. Also finishing in double-digit points were Victoria Cardaci and Aliyah Collier with 12 points each off the bench.

EAGLES ON THE ESPN FAMILY OF NETWORKS
The Georgia Southern women's basketball team will play 10 games on the ESPN family of networks this season, including Tuesday's game against the Crimson Tide on the SEC Network+. The Eagles have already played on the ACC Network Extra and will also be featured on the SEC Network+ and ESPN3. Eight of the Eagles' Sun Belt Conference games will be featured on ESPN3, including home games against South Alabama, Coastal Carolina and UL Monroe.

YEAR TWO FOR DROWN AND COMPANY
When Kip Drown took over the reins of the Georgia Southern women's basketball program over a year ago, he knew the rebuild would be a process that required him, his staff and the players to be patient. After the first year, the Eagles are looking to take the next step in building a successful program and they will have plenty of experience to draw from both on the coaching side as well as on the court.

Despite being chosen 10^th in the Preseason Sun Belt Conference Coaches' Poll, the team isn't looking to just roll over. The Eagles return plenty of talent and are a year older with more experience overall while also adding key pieces at every position. Last season, the Eagles had plenty of depth at certain positions, but were inexperienced at others. With at least three players at every position this year, and some players cross-trained at multiple positions, GS is prepared to take the next step.

MCGOWAN AND BUTLER EARN PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT HONORS
Georgia Southern women's basketball student-athletes Angel McGowan and Patrice Butler earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference honors as voted on by the league's coaches prior to the season. McGowan, a senior guard from Greenville, S.C., earned first team honors and Butler, a senior forward/center from Norcross, Ga., was named to the third team.

NEXT UP
The Eagles are beginning a four-gram road swing that will take them through South Carolina, Alabama and Indiana. After Wednesday game in Clemson, Eagles will travel to Jacksonville, Ala., where they will take on the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State on Sunday, Nov. 20. The Eagles will then make the short drive to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama before flying up to Indianapolis to tangle with IUPUI before returning home for the final game of November at home against Mercer.


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