STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's basketball collected the largest margin of victory in Sun Belt Conference play since joining the league by downing Appalachian State, 87-56, on Friday evening at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The 31-point victory by the Eagles (6-4, 2-1 SBC) also kept Georgia Southern atop the Sun Belt East Division standings, while Appalachian State fell to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in the SBC. The margin eclipses the 30-point 75-45 win the Eagles had over UL Monroe on Feb. 8, 2018.

Georgia Southern started the contest by not allowing App State to score a basket until there was four minutes and 16 seconds left in the first quarter, by which point the Eagles had a 12-1 lead. Georgia Southern finished the first quarter with a 22-5 lead and ended up taking a commanding 47-19 lead into halftime, shooting 61.5% from the floor and hitting 8-of-12 three-pointers.

App State rallied in the third quarter, using a 14-1 run over a 2:40 stretch to close the gap to 60-38 with 3:33 left in the frame, but sophomore Jaiden Hamilton made a pair of baskets, then senior Tatum Barber hit a four-point play to push the lead back to 29 and the Eagles never looked back.

Georgia Southern finished the contest by shooting 56.4% from the field, hitting 31-of-55 shots from the floor, and also hit 14-of-24 shots from three-point range, tying the school record of 14 threes set last season against Louisiana on January 4, 2020. Appalachian State shot just 29% from the floor (18-of-62).

Hamilton led the Eagles offensively with 16 points, while Barber chipped in 14 points and freshman Daeja Holmes added 11. Michaela Porter's 13 points led App State.

Eagle of the Game
Barber canned her first three of the night to cap a 15-4 run to open the contest in the first quarter, then hit her four-point play in the third quarter to finish her score line. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range and added four rebounds and a pair of free throws. The four-point play was also her 100th career three-pointer as an Eagle.

Stat(s) of the Game
The 56.4% field goal percentage for the Eagles was the best for the team in a single game since the Eagles also shot 56.4% (31-of-55) in an 87-80 loss at Chattanooga on December 4, 2010. The 58.3% three-point field goal percentage (14-of-24) is the seventh-best single-game three-point shooting percentage in school history.

Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Acting Head Coach Chris Straker on the key to the win over the Mountaineers
"Obviously the defense. We came out and locked them up from the beginning. I think we held them to five points in the first five minutes. It made a huge difference in the rest of the game. They were trying to find different ways to score. And I think we maintained that intensity throughout the rest of the game for the most part."

Tatum Barber on the four-point play in the third quarter
"The best part was my teammates' energy and hearing them around me [after the shot]. I was just doing what I do, I've been struggling from the three for a bit, but today was a good game for me and I'm excited about tomorrow."

On the defensive intensity against the Mountaineers
"We know we can score from anywhere, so stopping teams and getting stops on defense consistently is what we've been focusing on."

Next Up
The Eagles host App State on Saturday at Hanner Fieldhouse to wrap up the weekend action against the Mountaineers. Tip time is 6 p.m.