STATESBORO - Appalachian State women's basketball forced 23 turnovers and knocked down 12 three-pointers in picking up a 70-58 Sun Belt Conference victory over host Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Mountaineers improved to 5-5 overall and 2-2 in the Sun Belt with the win, while Georgia Southern fell to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in the league.
In stark contrast to Friday's game in which the Mountaineers missed their first five three-point shot attempts and went just 2-for-14 from long range in the first half, App State hit its first four three-point attempts on Saturday en route to building a 25-12 lead with a minute left in the first quarter. The Eagles battled back to score six straight points to end the quarter and close the gap to 25-18.
In the second quarter, the Eagles kept the run going to tie the game at 27-all on a Daeja Holmes three-pointer, but the Mountaineers closed the half on a 11-4 run to take a 43-35 lead at the break.
The second half saw neither team play well offensively in the third quarter as App State outscored the Eagles 9-5 in the frame, pushing the Mountaineers lead to 52-40. Georgia Southern would get as close as nine in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back three-pointers from Lainey Gosnell and Brooke Bigott clinched the victory.
Tatum Barber led the Eagles on the night with 16 points, while A'Tyanna Gaulden added 10 points. Mya Burns collected nine points, four rebounds, a pair of blocked shots and a steal. Three Mountaineers reached double figures, led by Bigott's 17 points on 5-of-13 from three-point range. Pre Stanley added 13 points and Gosnell finished with 12.
Eagle of the Game
Barber had her second straight hot shooting night, hitting 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, en route to her season-high 16 points. Barber added six rebounds and a pair of assists in the contest. She's now made her last six three-point attempts over the last two games.
Stat of the Game
Georgia Southern has now lost its last 13 straight games when an opponent has made 10 or more three-pointers, dating back to 2018. This was the third time this season in which an opponent has made 10 or more threes (Jacksonville State, 11/25 & Chattanooga, 12/20)
Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Acting Head Coach Chris Straker on the contest
"They came ready to play, and ready to avenge yesterday's loss. While we came out like we won by 30 yesterday. And that's what happens with a young team, i think sometimes you feel a little overconfident coming in. Shout out to App State, all credit goes to them, They came ready to play with a huge amount of intensity in the first quarter, and we weren't ready for that. That first quarter really hurt us, we dug ourselves a hole that we had to fight out of, and then of course in the quarter, we just couldn't score."
Next Up
The Eagles will travel to Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite Troy to take on the Trojans on Friday, January 15, at 7 p.m.
