TROY, Ala. - Georgia Southern cut a 20-point second-half Troy lead to just three in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles could not complete the comeback as the Trojans picked up an 82-69 Sun Belt Conference victory on Saturday afternoon at Trojan Arena.
The Trojans improved to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in the Sun Belt with the win, while Georgia Southern fell to 6-7 overall and 2-4 in the league. The win was the 17th straight in the series for Troy between the two teams.
Georgia Southern did not score its first basket until a three-pointer by Jaiden Hamilton with 1:26 left in the first quarter, but the Eagles trailed by just four, 11-7, at the end of the first period. Troy stretched that lead to 39-23 at halftime thanks to forcing 17 first-half turnovers by the Eagles.
The Trojans built a 20-point lead, 51-31, with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter when the Eagle comeback began. A layup by Sarah Moore sparked a 16-6 run to end the third quarter as Georgia Southern cut the deficit in half, 57-47. A three-point play by A'Tyanna Gaulden started the fourth quarter as Georgia Southern opened the frame on a 10-3 run, and Shondell Vickers' open three from the top of the key made it 60-57 with 8:13 left in the game.
Troy's Jasmine Robinson answered the charge with eight straight points for the Trojans and the home team closed out the game on a 12-4 run to close out the victory.
Gaulden led all scorers in the game for the Eagles with 22 points, while Vickers finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Five Trojans reached double figures in the game, led by Alexus Dye's 16 points and 16 rebounds before she fouled out in the fourth quarter. Robinson finished with 16 as well, with Tiyah Johnson adding 15 points, Janiah Sandifer adding 13 points and Felmas Koranga chipping in 11.
Eagle of the Game
Gaulden scored 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half, and the senior hit 7-of-15 shots from the floor and knocked down 8-of-11 free throws. She added five assists and and three rebounds for the Eagles. The 20+ point performance was her second of the season.
Stat of the Game
Gaulden and Vickers combined to make 12-of-22 shots from the floor (54.5%), while the rest of the Eagles combined to make just 14-of-49 shots from the floor (28.6%)
Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Head Coach Anita Howard on the effort against the Trojans
"It was just a fight. I thought we wanted to come in here and try to get a win, to try and make up for what we didn't do yesterday. But it's hard to play that way for 40 minutes. So we started out slow, and ended up having to dig our way out of it."
On 17 first-half turnovers vs. nine in the second half
"It was just relaxing. Being poised under pressure. We knew they were going to bring the pressure. Early on, we had a whole bunch off silly turnovers. Traveling and things of that nature. So it was just settling down and getting back to playing basketball."
Next Up
The Eagles return home to Hanner Fieldhouse to host South Alabama in Sun Belt Conference action on Friday, January 22nd, at 6 p.m.
