Postgame radio interview with Isaiah Crawley

Postgame radio interview with Mark Byington

STATESBORO – Isaiah Crawley scored 20 points, and Georgia Southern forced 17 turnovers and held Coastal Carolina without a 3-pointer to earn a 79-69 Sun Belt win over the Chanticleers Thursday night in Hanner Fieldhouse. 

Eagles of the Game
Crawley made 10 of 12 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds, two steals and two assists, while Quan Jackson collected 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Ike Smith notched 13 points and three assists, and Elijah McCadden chipped in 10 points, four boards, four assists and two steals. Simeon Carter finished with seven points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

Key Moments
After Coastal Carolina cut an 11-point deficit down to four on a Tommy Burton jumper early in the second half, the Eagles (16-10, 10-5) made six of their next eight field goals to build a 54-40 cushion midway through the frame. Crawley scored six points during the run, Jackson collected a four-point play and McCadden capped it with a dunk in traffic.

The lead grew to 18 on a Carter dunk, but Coastal (13-13, 6-9) made nine straight field goals in an 20-6 run that trimmed the score to 69-65 with 2:07 remaining. Smith drew a foul and made them both, the Eagles got a defensive stop and Crawley made another free throw to increase the lead back to seven with 1:28 to play. Crawley offset a Levi Cook putback with another pair from the charity stripe, and GS held the Chants to 1 of 3 from the field with a turnover the rest of the way.

Key Stats
The Eagles held Coastal Carolina to 0 of 14 from 3-point range, marking the first time GS has held an opponent without a triple since Furman went 0 of 6 in a 69-53 Eagle win Jan. 24, 2009, in Hanner Fieldhouse. GS scored 21 points off of Chanticleer turnovers but gave up 19 offensive rebounds.

Next Up
Appalachian State makes its first visit to Hanner Fieldhouse since the 2016-17 season when the Eagles play host to the Mountaineers Saturday at 4 p.m. Promotions: Blue Out, First Responders Night, Greek Night, Alumni Night, presented by Cookout.