STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's basketball notched its second win in a row by knocking off Georgia Southwestern State, 90-69, on Friday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The game, which was scheduled on Wednesday after the Eagles' scheduled game against LaGrange College was canceled, featured two in-state teams that had not faced off since 1986. Georgia Southern moved to 3-2 on the season with the victory, while Georgia Southwestern State fell to 2-2.

The NCAA Division II Hurricanes from Americus opened up the contest even tight with the Eagles, trailing by three late in the first quarter, 13-10. But a three-point play by freshman Daeja Holmes pushed Georgia Southern's lead to six, 16-10, at the end of the first quarter.

Georgia Southern surged to a 43-24 halftime lead thanks to a 27-point output in the second quarter that saw the Eagles shoot 50% from the field, including hitting 4-of-9 three-pointers. The Eagles put up another 27-point quarter in the third, but Georgia Southwestern had its best quarter as well, shooting 56% from the floor and putting up 26 points. The Hurricanes got as close as 17 points, 74-57, early in the fourth quarter, however the Eagles hit 9-of-11 fourth-quarter free throws to close out the win. 

The Eagles placed four players in double figures, led by senior A'Tyanna Gaulden's 12 points. Senior Tatum Barber and sophomores Jaiden Hamilton and Shondell Vickers all chipped in 11 points apiece. Georgia Southwestern State was led by Jamesha Samuel's game-high 26 points on 9-of-25 shooting from the floor, including 5-of-17 from three-point range. 

Eagle of the Game
Hamilton notched nine of her 11 points in the first half and finished the game 3-of-6 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. She added a team-best three steals and a pair of rebounds in the contest. It was her second straight double digit scoring performance.

Stat(s) of the Game
Georgia Southern took advantage at the free throw line on Friday afternoon, knocking down 27-of-31 free throws for an 87.1 percentage. Three different Georgia Southwestern State players fouled out of the contest. Freshman Terren Ward hit 7-of-8 shots from the foul line and in all, 10 different Eagles made at least one free throw on the day.

Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Head Coach Anita Howard on the performance against Georgia Southwestern State
"Hats off to Georgia Southwestern, they came in the way we thought they would be. They were very scrappy and were very aggressive. I wasn't pleased with our rebounding effort in the first half, they were leading the margin by one. I thought we played a little too lax, but all the credit goes to them. They kept on fighting. I thought we were below the level of intensity that I want to see day in and day out."

On the depth of the Eagles
"I'm pleased with our depth. Sometimes they don't play like I need them to play, but they are still getting adjusted to those minutes and coming off the bench. Some of these players are used to playing the entire game, and now we're asking them to play in 2-to-3 minute increments. It will fare well with us going into conference, having to play back to back games."

Sophomore Jaiden Hamilton on how the team has improved, especially forcing turnovers
"I think we have improved on our tempo, getting out in transition, getting in our lanes. I also think we're improving on playing inside-out. With the press, it's just understanding our spots, doing what we're supposed to do, knowing what we're looking at and what we're taking away."

Next Up
Georgia Southern will take part in the GSU Holiday Classic on Sunday and Monday, December 20 and 21, in Atlanta. The Eagles will face Chattanooga on Sunday at 3 p.m., then take on Western Carolina on Monday at 1 p.m.