STATESBORO - Indiana State made back-to-back fastbreak layups in a 30 second stretch late in the fourth quarter to edge past Georgia Southern, 71-67, in the final game of the GATA Turkey Throwdown on Saturday afternoon at Hanner FIeldhouse.
The Eagles (5-2) suffered their first loss at home of the season, while Indiana State (2-4) snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory. In the other game of the day on Saturday in the tournament, Jacksonville State defeated South Carolina State, 75-43.
Georgia Southern shot 64% from the floor, making 11-of-17 field goals to take a 24-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Eagles stayed hot from two-point range, making 17-of-21 shots in the first half, but going 0-for-10 from three-point range as Georgia Southern led by four, 36-32, at the break.
The Eagles led by five, 52-47, with a minute and a half to go in the third quarter when Indiana State embarked on a 12-2 run over the next five and a half minutes to lead 59-54, with 5:39 left. The Eagles rallied to take back the lead, as an Eden Johnson free throw made the score 65-64, but first Mya Glanton, then Natalia Lalic got behind the Eagles defense for back-to-back layups to put the Sycamores back in front, 68-65, with 1:04 left.
Georgia Southern had two chances to fie in the final 19 seconds but the Eagles missed a pair of free throws and a shot to give the Sycamores the win.
Taya Gibson led the Eagles with 16 points, while Ja'nya Love-Hill chipped in 13 points. Del'Janae Williams' 26 points led a quartet of Sycamores in double figures.
Eagle of the Game
Gibson scored her season high by hitting 6-of-7 shots from the floor and 4-of-6 free throws for her 16 points. She also notched five rebounds before fouling out in the final minute of the contest.
Stats of the Game
The Eagles went 0-for-14 from three-point range, the first time Georgia Southern has failed to make a three-pointer since February 28, 2015. The Eagles were 0-for-9 from three-point range in a 62-35 loss at Louisiana on that day.
Quotables • HEAR FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM COACH HOWARD
Head Coach Anita Howard on the struggles against Indiana State
"This is a game we're definitely going to learn from. Waited too late to pay. Came out early but did not finish the game. The consistency bug is still biting us again. We will bounce back, but I'm disappointed at how we showed up today on back-to-back games. You have to put the last game behind you and I don't think we did a good job of that."
Next Up
The Eagles play their final game before final exams on Tuesday, visiting the College of Charleston for a 5 p.m. contest in Charleston, S.C. The game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. but is now part of a doubleheader with the College of Charleston men.
