Women's Basketball | 11/28/2016 2:00:00 PM

2016-17 GS WBB Quick Facts (PDF)
2016-17 GS WBB Media Guide (PDF)
@GSAthletics_WBB
@coachdrown
@GSAthletics

STATESBORO – After playing on the road for the last four games, the Georgia Southern women's basketball team finally returns home to the friendly confines of Hanner Fieldhouse this week before hitting the road again for a two-game trek. First on the schedule for the Eagles will be a morning home game against long-time rival Mercer on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Following the 11 a.m. tipoff against the Bears, the Eagles will travel the short distance to Savannah to take on the Tigers of Savannah State on Thursday, Dec. 1.

FIELD TRIP DAY
Tuesday's game inside Hanner Fieldhouse will serve as the Eagles' second-annual Field Trip Day. Several local elementary and middle schools will be in attendance after the success of last year's event. Last year, the event drew close to 1,500 students from around the area as the Eagles took on Robert Morris. This year's game against Mercer will tip off at 11 a.m. inside Hanner Fieldhouse.

TUESDAY GAME SNAPSHOT
Mercer vs. Georgia Southern
Tuesday, Nov. 29   |  11:00 a.m. EST   |   Hanner Fieldhouse (Statesboro, Ga.)
Live Stats   |   Live Audio (GS Sports Network)   |   Live Video (GS All-Access)

THURSDAY GAME SNAPSHOT
Georgia Southern vs. Savannah State
Thursday, Dec. 1   |  6:00 p.m. EST   |   Tiger Arena (Savannah, Ga.)
Live Stats   |   Live Audio (GS Sports Network)   |   Live Video (Savannah State All-Access)

SCOUTING THE BEARS (Twitter - @MercerWBB)
The rivalry between Georgia Southern and Mercer is the longest running of any in women's basketball history. The two teams have met 63 times since 1973. There have only been six seasons in that span that the two have not met on the hardwood. Mercer owns a slight three-game advantage in the series, 33-30, and holds a one-game advantage in Statesboro, 16-15. The Bears have won the last two meetings and have claimed three of the last five dating back to the 2011-12 season. Prior to that, Georgia Southern won six in a row and 14 of 15 from 1992 to 2011.

Mercer is coached by seventh-year head coach Susie Gardner, the 10^th head coach in women's basketball history. She boasts an overall record of 271-249, including stints at Austin Peay State University and Arkansas. In her six previous years, she is 3-3 against Georgia Southern.

Heading into Tuesday's game, Mercer has played six games, including a 72-64 loss at Georgia in the second game of the year. Since that loss, the Bears have gone 4-0 with wins at home over Campbell and Florida Atlantic and road victories over Illinois and Houston. The Bears are averaging 68.8 points per game while their opponents have managed an average of 58.7 points per contest. Mercer has shot 39.5% (159-403) from the field, but that percentage goes down to 28.8% (23-80) from three-point range. The Bears have been winning the turnover margin, forcing their foes to turn the ball over nearly 21 times a game while only committing 10 per outing.

The Bears are led in scoring by three players in double-digit point averages, including two that are close to averaging 20 points per game. Another player is close to the double-digit point average. Kahlia Lawrence leads the team with 18.8 points per game and has taken 116 shots, making 46 (.397). She also contributes 6.0 rebounds per game and has connected on 20 of her 25 (.800) free throws. Behind her, KeKe Calloway averages 17.7 points, 4.7 boards and 2.3 three-pointers per game. She leads the team from beyond the arc as she has connected on 31.8% (14-44) of her attempts from three-point range. Sydni Means is the final Bear averaging double-digit points with 10.7 per outing. She is also the most efficient shooter on the team as she has hit 47.2% (25-53) of her looks from the field. Means, Lawrence, Linnea Rosendal and Amanda Thompson have started all six games of Mercer.

2016-17 MER Roster
2016-17 MER Schedule
2016-17 MER Statistics

SCOUTING THE TIGERS (Twitter - @SavStateTigers)
The Eagles and Tigers have played 20 times in women's basketball dating back to 1975. Savannah State won the first two meetings and an overtime game in 2005, but Georgia Southern has dominated the rivalry outside of those and two other losses early on. Georgia Southern won last year's meeting in Savannah 64-48, marking the first win of Kip Drown's tenure with the Eagles. It also kick-started a stretch of three wins in a row for the Eagles.

The Tigers are coached by Cedric Baker. Baker is in his 14^th season at the helm of the program and the 24^th year as a head coach. In his time in Savannah, Baker is 1-4 against Georgia Southern, including leading the Tigers to a 77-74 overtime win over the Eagles on Feb. 17, 2005.

This season, Savannah State is 2-3 with wins over Columbia College (S.C.) and Alabama State University. The Tigers dropped their last two games to Iowa State and Kennesaw State. Prior to the season, the Tigers lost an exhibition game 72-68 in overtime to NCAA Division II institution Armstrong State. As a team, the Tigers are averaging 58.6 points per game compared to allowing opponents to score 62.2. SSU has hit on 102 of their 288 (.354) attempts from the field and have made 26 of their 83 (.313) three-point attempts. The Tigers are committing 18.0 turnovers per game and average 6.4 blocks per contest.

The Tigers are led in scoring by Lauren Moss's 13.2 points per game and Kenyata Hendrix's 12.2 per outing. Hendrix leads the team with 22 made field goals and 10 treys. Tiyonda Davis is close to averaging a double-double with 9.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. She also leads the team in shooting percentage as she has converted 51.4% (18-35) of her looks from the field. Davis is second on the team in made free throws with 13 while Moss leads the team with 17. Seven different players have made at least one start for the Tigers this season, but Moss and Jeremica Edwards have both started all five games. Hendrix, Davis and Taylor-Ashley Shaw have each started four games.

2016-17 SSU Roster
2016-17 SSU Schedule
2016-17 SSU Statistics

LAST TIME OUT
The Georgia Southern women's basketball team closed out a four-game road swing Saturday afternoon at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The Eagles fell 83-57 to the Jaguars inside the Jungle as the Jags benefitted from five players scoring in double figures.

Georgia Southern (2-4) shot 40.4% (21-52) from the field, including 53.8% (7-13) in the third quarter and 63.6% (7-11) in the fourth, but a 2-for-12 (16.7%) second period hampered the Eagles' efforts early on.

Senior Patrice Butler led the Eagles with 15 points, including two three-pointers. All five freshmen played valuable minutes highlighted by the tandem of Nakol Franks and Amira Atwater. The pair of guards each scored eight points with Franks draining two of her three treys. She finished the game 3-for-5 from the field while Atwater contributed three rebounds.

Fellow freshmen Alexis Brown and Hailey Dias-Allen each had six points as Brown went 2-for-3 from the field, 2-for-2 at the charity stripe and also had two assists, a steal and one block. Dias-Allen was 2-for-3 in shooting and corralled in a pair of rebounds. Victoria Stavropoulos, playing in front of a large group of family and friends thanks to Indianapolis's close range to her hometown of Orland Park, Ill., scored the first two points of her collegiate career in four minutes of work.

IUPUI (4-1), which shot 50.0% (30-60) from the field, was led by Mikale Rogers and Danielle Lawrence with 14 points each. The Jaguars hit 16 three-pointers in the game, including four by Lawrence, four by Caitlyn Tolen and three each by Sydney Hall and Holly Hoopingarner.

TOUGH COMPETITION HELPS EAGLES GROW
Georgia Southern is in the midst of its toughest stretch of the season. The Eagles just played four straight road games in three different states, including two in the span of three days, and have played some of the toughest competition on the schedule. The Eagles' last four opponents and next foe are 24-6 (.800) combined. The Eagles' two Power 5 opponents, Clemson and Alabama, are both undefeated (as of Nov. 28) and a combined 12-0. Of those five opponents, only Jacksonville State has a losing record (3-4).

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
After this week's pair of games in Statesboro and Savannah, the Eagles will have 10 days off before traveling to Charleston, S.C., where they will take on Charleston Southern on Monday, Dec. 12. The road game, which tips off at 7 p.m., will serve as the second part of a home-and-home series that saw the Eagles defeat the Buccaneers 64-51 in Statesboro last season.


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. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by visiting GSEagles.com/Tickets.