STATESBORO, Ga. - Five players scored in double figures as the Georgia Southern men's basketball team ran its winning streak to eight games with a 91-80 victory over Sun Belt newcomer Coastal Carolina Monday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Tookie Brown (23 points, seven rebounds) and Ike Smith (21 points, six rebounds), led the way for Georgia Southern (14-6, 7-0 SBC). B.J. Gladden and Mike Hughes both contributed 12 points to the cause and Montae Glenn had 11 points and six rebounds.

CCU (9-11, 4-3 SBC) also had five players in double figures, led by Elijah Wilson and Colton Ray-St. Cyr, who both scored 15. 

The biggest disparity came from long range as GS hit 13 3-pointers to CCU's seven made 3s. For the game, the Eagles shot 52.7 percent from the field, including a 56.5 clip in the second half, and Georgia Southern made 20 free throws against CCU's five.

The Story
CCU cut a double-digit deficit to five with 9:48 remaining, but Smith's 3-pointer, his third of the game, sparked a 12-2 run in which GS made four triples in a row. Jake Allsmiller nailed one before Smith hit another, and Gladden's trifecta from the wing made it a 15-point lead.

The Eagles all but iced the game when Gladden hit a runner and was fouled and CCU was called for a technical foul with 4:58 to play. Brown made both free throws on the technical, and Gladden made his to complete the five-point play to make it a 21-point cushion.

The Eagles led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but CCU finished the period on a 6-0 run to cut the lead over the final 1:10 to 10 at 44-34 heading to the locker room. Smith led the Eagles in the first half with 11 points while Brown poured in 10 of his own.

Quotables from head coach Mark Byington
"I'm proud of the way we figured out how to get stops and gain separation in the second half. I thought Ike's play where he blocked a shot on one end and found Jake for the three at the other end was a great play. I thought that was the play of the game."

"I thought we did a good job of taking what the defense gave us. In the last two games, we had to be good drivers and tonight, we had to be good passers. Whether we're shooting threes or not shooting threes, we want good shots, and we'll live with the results."

"When we bring energy on defense is when we are at our best. We have to continue to work on our communication on defense, especially in the second half."
 
Game Notes
The win was the first for the Eagles in five all-time meetings between the two schools and the first meeting between the teams since 2009.

Winners of their last eight, the 11-point win snaps a streak of five wins during the streak that were decided by five points or less.

The eight-game winning streak for GS is tied for the longest since the 2005-06 campaign when GS also won eight in a row. 

The Eagles are 7-0 in league play for the first time since the 1991-92 season. GS won its first nine games in the Trans America Athletic Conference that year.

Georgia Southern is now 7-1 at home this season. The Eagles are 37-13 under head coach Mark Byington in Hanner Fieldhouse and own a 20-5 all-time record in Sun Belt games in the facility.

Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina will meet again on Feb. 11 when the two play in Conway, South Carolina.

Up Next
Georgia Southern heads out for its Alabama road swing. The Eagles play at South Alabama on Saturday and at Troy Monday, Jan. 30.

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