JONESBORO, Ark. - Despite a record-book performance from long range, the Georgia Southern women's basketball team fell to Arkansas State, 86-75, in Sun Belt Conference action on Saturday at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark.
The Red Wolves improved to 11-16 overall and 6-10 in the Sun Belt, while the Eagles fell to 7-21 overall and 2-15 in the league.
Georgia Southern knocked down 13-of-26 three-pointers in the game, tying the single-game school record for three-point baskets made. All 13 threes were assisted by junior Amira Atwater, who added another assist on a Tatum Barber layup for a school-record 14 assists in the game, breaking her own mark of 13 set twice previously.
But Arkansas State shot just as well, blistering the nets in the fourth quarter (71.4 percent, 10-of-14) to hold off the Eagles' second-half charge.
Alexis Brown led a trio of Eagles in double figures with 29 points, while Tatum Barber added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Hailey Dias-Allen chipped in 10 points. Jireh Washington led a trio of Red Wolves in double figures with 24 points, with Peyton Martin adding a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Payton Tennison added 14 points.
Eagle of the Game
Brown hit 11-of-18 shots from the floor, including 7-of-12 threes, en route to her game-high 29 points. She now has 491 points on the season, which is the most points in a single season for a Georgia Southern women's basketball player since Gwen Thomas had 533 points during the 1991-92 season, 28 years ago.
Key Moment
Georgia Southern trailed by just four at the break, 36-32, but Arkansas State started off the third quarter on an 8-0 run to build a double-digit lead. The Eagles cut the lead to two, 51-49, with 1:13 remaining in the third quarter, but Arkansas State made 11 of their final 15 shots from the game to seal the victory.
Stat of the Game
The 13 three-pointers hit by the Eagles was the fourth time in school history Georgia Southern has hit 13 threes in a game, matching the 13 hit vs. Troy on Feb. 19, 2015; vs. Georgia on Nov. 21, 2006 and vs. Appalachian State on Feb. 8, 2000.
Quotables
Head Coach Kip Drown
On the difference in the game today
"I told our kids at halftime, we were down four, and we missed six layups in the first half on balls right at the rim. I didn't think we had played that well offensively. The first three minutes of the second half, we came out and turned it over three times, and it went from six to 12 points in a hurry. But we kept competing, and we could never get over the hump. When you put yourself down like that, you exert so much energy coming back that it really is tough. Our kids competed, and we were right there. But when [Payton] Tennyson hit the two threes in the fourth quarter, we couldn't sit in the zone like we did in the second and third quarters."
Next Up
​​​​​​​The Eagles will finish off the 2018-19 season by traveling to Atlanta to take on Georgia State in a Southern vs. State Rivalry Series game on Saturday, March 9, at 2 p.m.
