STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's basketball broke its single-game scoring record for a second consecutive contest as the Eagles defeated Carver College, 133-15, on Kids Field Trip Day on Monday morning at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles (8-2) also set several other single-game records in the win over the Cougars (0-11) in the first meeting between the two teams. Carver College is an NCCAA institution from Atlanta. A crowd of 2,568 - mostly grade school and middle school students from Bulloch County and the surrounding area - watched the win, the second-largest single-game home crowd to watch Georgia Southern women's basketball behind only the Kids Field Trip Day game from two years ago against North Dakota (2,912).
Georgia Southern scored the first 19 points of the contest, en route to a 27-5 lead after the first quarter. The Eagles then held Carver off the scoreboard in the second quarter, the first time since the NCAA went to the quarter system that Georgia Southern has held an opponent scoreless for a quarter, in taking a 60-5 lead at halftime.
The Eagles broke the single-game scoring record on Daeja Holmes' layup in the fourth quarter that made the score 123-12. The old record of 121 points was just set on Saturday in a 121-105 win over Gardner-Webb at Hanner Fieldhouse.
In addition to the single-game scoring record, the Eagles also set a new record for margin of victory with 118 points (old record: 72, set in a 111-39 win over Tift College on January 22, 1975) and also set a new record for fewest points allowed in a game (old record: 29, set vs. Elon on January 26, 2009). Georgia Southern registered 28 steals in the contest, which ties the school record previously set vs. Georgia Tech on February 21, 1980.
Eight players reached double figures in the contest for the Eagles, led by Rachel Johnson's 18 points. Constance Thomas notched 17 points, while Taya Gibson finished with 15 points. Daeja Holmes had 12 points, Ja'nya Love-Hill, Simone James and Thaniya Marks had 11 points apiece and Lydia Freeman chipped in 10 points. Carver was led by Taiyee Treasure's nine points.
Eagle of the Game
Johnson hit 9-of-17 shots from the floor and added five rebounds and a pair of steals for her season-high 18 points. She also reached the 1,000 career point mark, including her seasons at Southern State CC, Chipola JC, Wichita State and Georgia Southern.
Stat of the Game
Georgia Southern had a 78-0 edge in points off of turnovers against the Cougars, buoyed by the school record-tying 28 steals. The Eagles also had a 49-0 edge in fastbreak points.
Quotables • HEAR FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM LYDIA FREEMAN AND ANITA HOWARD
Sophomore Lydia Freeman on playing in her first Kids Day Game as an Eagle
"It was a great atmosphere, The kids are so excited to see us play, and we're excited to have them. They brought the energy today even though it was an early game, and we felt all the love."
Head Coach Anita Howard on the effort against Carver
"Hats off to Carver, this is one of our non-DI opponents. So I talked to our kids about focusing on what we do. When you go to work, you do your job. Our job is to defend, rebound and run. We have to do this kind of defensive effort against a Kennesaw, against a Bethune-Cookman coming up. We challenge them to do every game."
Coach Howard on the Kids Day environment
"It was great, it was an early game, so in the locker room, I could tell our energy was down. But hearing the kids yell and scream for every little thing helped us wake up. They make them feel like local celebrities. This is what we would love for Hanner to look like on a consistent basis."
Next Up
The Eagles will play their final non-conference road game of the year on Friday, visiting Kennesaw State for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Owls in Kennesaw, Ga.
