ATLANTA - Georgia Southern women's basketball used a 23-5 second-half run to take control of the contest and defeat Western Carolina, 89-61, at the GSU Holiday Classic on Monday afternoon at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Eagles finished the non-conference portion of their schedule at 4-3, while Western Carolina falls to 1-7. It was the first meeting between the two former SoCon rivals since Georgia Southern departed the league in 2014.

Georgia Southern opened up the contest on a 15-7 run, but Western Carolina closed the quarter with a 13-5 streak, hitting a pair of free throws with one second left in the quarter to lead 20-19. An 8-0 run by the Eagles in the second quarter led to a 39-33 halftime lead for Georgia Southern at the break.

When the third quarter started, the Eagles and the Catamounts traded baskets, but a fastbreak layup by sophomore Shondell Vickers sparked a 23-5 run that pushed Georgia Southern's lead to 24, 64-40, over the five and a half minute stretch. The Eagles would lead by as many as 30 in the second half before settling for the 28-point victory.

Three Eagles reached double figures in the contest, led by senior A'Tyanna Gaulden's 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Freshman Daeja Holmes added 16 points, while Vickers finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Zanoria Cruz led Western Carolina with 14 points.

Eagle of the Game
Holmes hit 4-of-5 shots from three-point range and added 4-of-6 from the free throw line en route to her season-high 16 points. She also notched four assists, recorded three steals and grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds in the contest. It was her second double-digit scoring performance of the season.

Stat of the Game
The Eagles forced 20 turnovers by the Catamounts, turning them into 28 points. Georgia Southern committed a season-low 11 turnovers by comparison, which led to only eight points for Western Carolina.

Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Head Coach Anita Howard on the win against the Catamounts
"I thought we had fun today. I thought we shared the ball a little more. We only had 11 turnovers, and I'm very pleased by that. We also wanted to outrebound them, and we did. This is a good way to go into 2021 on a high note. I'm really pleased with our players, with everyone that came in and contributed."

On the play of freshman Daeja Holmes
"Daeja did a phenomenal job. She has that special sauce. I knew there was something special about her, from watching her film and her high school games. She is a gamer. She came out here today and did so many little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. It was good to see her have a confident game going into the break."

Next Up
The Eagles will open up Sun Belt Conference play on Friday, January 1, visiting South Carolina for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Jaguars in Mobile, Ala.