Numbers Tell The Tale: GS Women's Basketball Made Strides In 2020-21
4/9/2021 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Georgia Southern ranked among the Sun Belt and nation's leaders despite a young roster
STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern women's basketball team endured much during 2020-21, but also showed significant improvement on the court after a look at the final numbers put up by the Eagles.
Georgia Southern finished with an 11-13 overall record this season, one more win than 2019-20 despite playing six fewer games due to the reduced schedule due to COVID-19. Included in those wins were a first victory over Sun Belt champion Troy since joining the league, as well as an impressive 8-4 mark at Hanner Fieldhouse, the best home winning percentage in more than a decade.
But a deeper dive into how the Eagles performed in 2020-21 reveal some statistics that put the the team among the nation's best, as well as making some program history in the process.
Georgia Southern ranked among the Top 25 in NCAA Division I in eight separate statistical categories. The Eagles were seventh in rebounds per game at 45.25, while ranking ninth in offensive rebounds per game at 16.2. Georgia Southern ranked 15th in the nation in steals per game at 10.9, while also ranking 16th in turnovers forced per game at 20.12.
The Eagles placed 20th in total steals with 262, 24th in the nation in total rebounds with 1,086 and rebounding margin at +7.4, while ranking 25th in scoring offense at 75.5 points per game.
All of those numbers were among the top two among Sun Belt Conference schools, as the turnovers forced and steals per game led the league. Georgia Southern also ranked second in the league in free throws attempted and made (374-513) and in defensive rebounds per game (29.1).
Historically, the 45.3 rebounding average was the fifth-best single-season rebounding average in program history at Georgia Southern, and it is also the best since 2002-03 for the Eagles. The 75.5 ppg scoring average was the best for Georgia Southern in more than 20 years, since the 1997-98 squad that averaged 77.1 points per game. And Georgia Southern's 10.9 steals per game were the most since the 2000-01 squad averaged 13.3 steals per contest.
Georgia Southern shot 72.9% from the free throw line in 2020-21, which is the fifth-best single-season free throw percentage in program history.
And more remarkable was that all of these accomplishments were attained with one of the youngest rosters in NCAA Division I. Georgia Southern was one of only four teams in the nation to have 10 or more players on the roster with one year or less of Division I collegiate experience.
