Georgia Southern University
3-5
Presbyterian
1-6
Atwater's Shot Caps 69-68 Come From Behind Win At Presbyterian
12/12/2018 7:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Eagles overcome a 16-point first-half deficit and withstand 16 threes from PC to claim the win
CLINTON, S.C. – Junior Amira Atwater's floating shot in the lane banked in with three seconds left to give the Georgia Southern women's basketball team a come-from-behind 69-68 victory at Presbyterian College on Wednesday at the Ross E. Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C.
The Eagles (3-5) erased a 16-point first-half deficit against the Blue Hose (1-6) and withstood a night in which Presbyterian hit 16 three-pointers, tied for the most by a Georgia Southern opponent in a single game in school history.
But a seemingly insurmountable lead was cut to seven points at the break, where PC led 40-33, and was completely erased in a third quarter where Georgia Southern outscored the Blue Hose 19-10. That set up a fourth quarter that went back-and-forth, leading to Atwater's last-minute heroics.
Alexis Brown led a quartet of Eagles in double figures on the night with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor. Hailey Dias-Allen had 14 points and Tatum Barber added 12. Shamani Stafford led PC with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
Eagle of the Game
Atwater had 10 points and five assists on the night, hitting 5-of-10 shots from the floor, but none bigger than her game-winning shot.
Key moment
With Presbyterian leading by one, the Blue Hose had the basketball with 17.4 seconds left and Georgia Southern needing to foul. Instead, Atwater stole the inbounds pass and got it ahead to Alexis Brown. Brown was tripped up on her drive to the basket and lost the ball, but it went out of bounds off of PC with 10 seconds left. The inbounds pass came to Brown, who handed it off to Atwater on the right side. She drove down the lane and pulled up from about six feet, floating the ball off the backboard and in for the basket. PC's Kacie Hall - who shot 5-of-7 from three-point range - heaved a half-court shot as time expired that hit off the backboard and off the rim, giving the Eagles the victory.
Stats of the Game
Presbyterian hit 11-of-16 three-pointers in the first half and 16-of-29 for the game. It was the third time a GS opponent had hit 16 threes in a game against the Eagles (IUPUI, 11/26/16 & Chattanooga, 12/4/10). But Georgia Southern forced 21 turnovers by the Blue Hose and had a staggering 28-5 edge in points off of turnovers.
Quotables
From Amira Atwater on the comeback:
"Presbyterian could not miss a 3, but in the second quarter we stepped up the defense and that was the game changer for us. We just kept fighting back, bucket by bucket, and we eventually pulled it off.
On the huddle right before the last play and the game-winner
"I just told coach, I said 'Coach, I got it." He said 'Ok, let's get it to Amira and get a bucket' and that's what we did. This win was huge, going back home we wanted to get this W so that bus ride wouldn't be silent.
From head coach Kip Drown
On the victory:
"I thought our defense really got after it in the second quarter. For two weeks, we've been working defense. We played all man tonight. Tried to go back and make a commitment to it. Part of that though was they shot the ball unbelievable. I don't know if I've ever had a team hit 11 threes in a half. This is what I'm so proud about our kids. You keep taking that gut punch over and over when they're making threes, but we kept staying in it, battling and battling. Just so proud of the kids, we didn't give up and played the full 40 minutes."
On this game going forward
"I told the kids in the locker room that, in the course of a year, there's a couple of games that can really turn your season. If we take this and use it the right way, i think this can be that game. To come here on the road, play a solid team, and to be down like we were - not seeing us quit was a real growth area. This is a game we can take and build on."
Next up
The Eagles will return to Statesboro for an 11 a.m. contest at Hanner Fieldhouse against Coastal Georgia on Friday. It will be the 4th Annual School Field Trip day with more than 2,000 elementary and middle school students expected for the game.
