STATESBORO - Senior Tatum Barber's three-point play with 1:42 left in the game halted a Georgia State fourth-quarter rally to allow Georgia Southern to pick up a 77-69 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory on Thursday evening at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Eagles improved to 9-9 overall and 5-6 in the Sun Belt with the win, while Georgia State fell to 9-7 overall and 5-4 in the league. Georgia Southern also won its third straight against the Panthers with the victory.

Georgia Southern opened up the contest by shooting 50% from the floor in building a 29-18 first-quarter lead. The Eagles maintained that double-digit advantage into halftime, leading 42-30 at the break.

Georgia State matched the Eagles' output in the third quarter as each team put up 20 points, but the Panthers started their rally in the fourth quarter midway through the period. With the Eagles leading by 10 points, 67-57, Georgia State went on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to just two points, 69-67, with 1:54 remaining.

Barber then answered with her three-point play to push the lead back to five, 72-67, with 1:42 left and the Panthers never got back within a single possession the rest of the way. 

Barber scored a season-high 17 points to lead a trio of Eagles in double figures. Mya Burns had 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field before fouling out in the 4th quarter, while Simone James added 10 points. Taylor Hosendove led Georgia State on the night with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Eagle of the Game
Tatum Barber reached her season-high in points by hitting 7-of-15 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 shots from the foul line. She added a season-high eight rebounds and a pair of steals as well. Barber surpassed the 900 point barrier and now sits at 910 points with six games left in the regular season, plus the upcoming Sun Belt tournament.

Stat of the Game
One game after setting a school record in three-point attempts (38) against Troy on February 5th, the Eagles attempted a season-low 12 three-pointers tonight against the Panthers. Georgia Southern made 30 two-point shots against the Panthers, the most this season against an NCAA Division I opponent.

Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Head Coach Anita Howard on the inside game against the Panthers
"We wanted to attack them. Against Troy, I thought we settled for the three-pointer too much. I wanted to try and get downhill and get to the free throw line. We still didn't get to the free throw line as much as I wanted, but the 56 points in the paint is what we were trying to do. Trying to attack them and make them defend."

On the first quarter output (29 points)
"I said we hadn't won our first quarter all year in conference, so we needed to come out and send a statement. Now we've got to figure out how to continue to send that statement throughout the game."

Next Up
The Eagles will make the return trip to Georgia State to take on the Panthers on Saturday, February 13, at 2 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga.