PENSACOLA, Fla. - Texas State used a 25-6 run over a first-half nine-minute stretch to cruise to a 94-61 victory over Georgia Southern in the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Tournament First Round action at Hartsell Arena, on the campus of Pensacola State College on Friday.
The Eagles, the fifth seed out of the East Division, finish the season at 11-13, while Texas State improves to 11-10 and advances to the quarterfinals to take on top-seeded Troy on Saturday. Georgia Southern also remains winless in Sun Belt Tournament action since joining the league in 2014, falling to 0-4.
Georgia Southern started off the contest well defensively, holding Texas State to just 1-of-8 from the floor, but the Bobcats used three free throws from Gabby Standifer and back-to-back buckets to build an 11-6 lead. The Bobcats would extend that lead to 21-8 at the end of the quarter as Georgia Southern would not make a field goal over the final 4:50 of the period.
The Bobcats continued that hot stretch into the second quarter, hitting 11-of-14 shots form the floor to build a 50-17 lead at the break. Georgia Southern shot just 18.2 percent in the first half, hitting only 4-of-22 shots from the floor.
In the second half, the Eagles shot better, hitting 50% of its shots from the floor (9-of-18), but Texas State continued to shoot the lights out, hitting 11-of-14 shots in the period, including 5-of-6 from three to lead 81-37 after three.
The Eagles put up their best quarter in the fourth, ending the contest on a 22-6 run over the game's final eight minutes, but the deficit by the Bobcats was too large to overcome.
Senior Tatum Barber and freshman Daeja Holmes led the Eagles offensively on the day with 12 points apiece, while senior Sarah Moore added 10 points. Texas State placed four players in double figures, led by Da'Nasia Hood and Ja'Kayla Bowie, who had 19 points each.
Eagle of the Game
Tatum Barber reached double digit scoring for the 43rd time in her Georgia Southern career, hitting 3-of-8 shots from the floor, including 1-of-3 three-pointers, while also knocking down 5-of-8 free throws. She added four rebounds and a pair of assists in the contest.
Stat of the Game
Texas State forced 26 turnovers in the contest and enjoyed a 35-11 edge in points off of turnovers, including a 25-0 edge in the first half alone.
Quotables • LISTEN TO FULL POSTGAME COMMENTS HERE
Head Coach Anita Howard on the opening of the game from Texas State
"I wanted our players to come out today with a little more zest. Texas State came out with a lot of intensity, and with our young group, we just weren't prepared for it being so intense that early."
On her postgame words to the team
"Just keep your head up. The future is bright. We just had six freshman and four sophomores on the floor along with our two seniors. We're a young group. The one thing I liked is that we continued to battle and fight. Texas State was hitting every shot under the sun, so for us to keep competing down by a large deficit showed us that we really have fighters in this locker room and we'll be alright in the future."
Next Up
The Eagles return 11 players from this season's squad for 2021-22. Georgia Southern improved on its win total from 2019-20 even though the Eagles played six less games due to COVID-19, and currently rank in the Top 20 in several statistical categories, including rebounding, steals and free throws.
