STATESBORO – Freshman guard Nakol Franks had a record-setting day Tuesday afternoon with eight made three-pointers, but it was not enough as the Georgia Southern women's basketball team fell 77-56 to in-state rival Mercer in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Franks, making first career start, tied the school record with eight three-pointers, seven in the first half, and netted 26 points to lead Georgia Southern (2-5). Senior Patrice Butler tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, with all 13 points coming in the fourth quarter.

Kahlia Lawrence scored 17 points and Mercer (6-1) recorded 19 steals to swipe the victory. Sydni Means collected 14 points, seven assists, seven steals and four rebounds for Mercer, which won its fifth straight contest. Linnea Rosendal chipped in 12 points and three assists, and KeKe Calloway tallied 11 points and six rebounds.

Mercer's halfcourt zone defense forced 26 Eagle turnovers, which the Bears turned into 34 points. Both teams played mostly zone and shot well from three-point range, with GS hitting 11 treys and Mercer knocking down nine.

The Eagles were without second-leading scorer Angel McGowan, who missed the game with an injury. It was Georgia Southern's annual Field Trip Day, and 700 elementary and middle school children packed Hanner and provided a loud and boisterous atmosphere for the contest.

THE STORY
Georgia Southern turned the ball over 16 times in the first half, which led to 20 Mercer points, and the Bears built a 25-6 lead early in the second quarter. Franks scored Georgia Southern's first 15 points of the game, all on three-pointers, and netted 21 of the Eagles' 25 in the first half.

A 13-4 run, consisting of three of Franks' triples and a couple of buckets by Trellanie English-Lurry, trimmed the margin to 38-25 at halftime. Mercer stepped it up in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles 19-4 to open an insurmountable 28-point cushion at the end of the period.

GS cut the margin in half midway through the fourth with a 16-2 run, sparked by an Alexis Sams three-pointer, but that was as close as the Eagles would get. Lawrence hit a pair of jumpers in an 8-2 Mercer spurt that pushed the lead back to 20 points.

QUOTE FROM COACH KIP DROWN
Overall on the game against Mercer
"Going into the game, our number-one key was we had to take care of the basketball. We watched a lot of video on (Mercer) and knew they would be very active in their zone, they have some great athletes and they are so good at turning turnovers into transition points. They don't run nearly as well off missed shots as they do off turnovers. But I look at the stats and see we had 26 turnovers, which is double what we want to be at and 12 of them were in the first quarter. That was the biggest disappointment, we didn't take care of the basketball and we didn't really give ourselves a chance by burying ourselves right off the start. It's an area where we have to go back and get better at."

On Nakol Franks' big day
"She shot the ball really well today. With Angel out, we were looking at which way to go and we knew they would play a lot of zone on us. Nakol is a phenomenal shooter and we gave her a chance to make her first college start and she stepped up and had a monster game. She really kept us in it and gave us a chance, but we just couldn't get over the hump and make some stops."

NOTES
- Georgia Southern is now 30-34 all-time against Mercer and 15-17 in Statesboro. The Bears have won the last three meetings and four of the last five.
- The 11 three-pointers and 27 three-point attempts by Georgia Southern against Mercer were the second-most this season by the Eagles. GS hit 12 and took 31 treys against Thomas on Nov. 13.
- The 16 assists by Georgia Southern were also the second-most this season as the Eagles recorded 24 against Thomas.
- The 26 points by freshman guard Nakol Franks is the most by a Georgia Southern player this season, surpassing the mark of 22 set by both Patrice Butler (North Carolina A&T, 11/11/16) and Angel McGowan (Clemson, 11/16/16).
- Franks' eight made field goals and eight three-pointers made were the most this season by an Eagle player. Her eight field goals matches Butler's eight against Alabama on Nov. 22 and her eight treys surpassed McGowan's four against Clemson on Nov. 16.
- Franks' eight made three-pointers ties the school record for three-pointers made and sets the freshman record.
- Tuesday's eight treys by Franks marked the first time since the Eagles' 61-50 win over Georgia State on Jan. 19, 2016 that a player had at least five three-pointers.
- When Franks scored 21 first half points, it was the first time a Georgia Southern player had scored 20 or more points in a single half since Anna Claire Knight scored 20 in the second half of a game at Davidson on Feb. 15, 2014.
- Alexis Sams' six assists against the Bears is the most by a player this season and were two shy of her career-best eight set on the road at Troy on Jan. 17, 2015.
- Senior Patrice Butler scored her 800th career point while at Georgia Southern Tuesday. She has scored 803 points while in Statesboro and has 934 collegiate points between her time at Furman and Georgia Southern.

NEXT UP
Georgia Southern makes the quick trip to Savannah to take on Savannah State Thursday. It's a doubleheader with the men's teams, and tipoff is set for 6 p.m.


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