TROY, Ala. - Troy used a 14-0 second quarter run to overcome an early deficit and cruise to an 87-70 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory over visiting Georgia Southern on Friday evening at Trojan Arena.

The Trojans improved to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt with the win, while Georgia Southern fell to 6-6 overall and 2-3 in the league.

Georgia Southern opened up the contest on a 23-8 spurt covering the first seven and a half minutes of the first quarter, sparked by nine points by senior Eden Johnson. The Eagles led by nine at the end of the first quarter, 23-14, and pushed that lead to 10, 28-18, with a three-pointer by Simone James with 6:56 left in the second quarter.

That's when the Trojans embarked on their 14-0 run that covered the next five minutes and 15 seconds, giving Troy a 32-28 advantage. Troy led by one at the break, 32-31, then opened the second half on a 11-2 run over the first three minutes to build a double-digit 43-33 lead. 

Troy outpointed the Eagles by a 29-12 margin in the third quarter, but the Eagles were able to keep the gap tight with a 27-point fourth quarter, outpointing the Trojans by one in the frame.

James led all scorers in the contest with 18 points for the Eagles, while Johnson finished with 16 points. Four Trojans reached double figures on the night, led by Alexus Dye's 17 points. Felmas Koranga and Tiyah Johnson each added 15 points, while Janiah Ellis added 11 points.

Eagle of the Game
James registered a career-best 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. 13 of her 18 points came within the first five minutes of the fourth quarter as Georgia Southern outpointed the Trojans 27-26 in the frame. James added a pair of rebounds and a pair of assists as well.

Stat of the Game
The Eagles had more turnovers (11) than points (8) in the pivotal second quarter and finished the game with 25 turnovers, the seventh time this season that Georgia Southern has committed 20 or more turnovers.

Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Head Coach Anita Howard on the second quarter from Troy
"They went to what they do best. They got a lot of open looks in transition, and we didn't get back in transition, so those are easy 2s, which gets their defense going. They forced us into 25 turnovers. Troy is number one in the league for a reason, with the pressure they put on you on not just on the defensive end but the offensive end too, by looking to score."

On the 27-point fourth quarter
"I thought our freshman relaxed a little bit, and our sophomores relaxed a little bit in the 4th quarter, and that's what we've got to look to do tomorrow."

Next Up
The Eagles close out their trip to Troy by taking on the Trojans at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Trojan Arena.