STATESBORO - Junior Mya Burns hit a pair of go-ahead free throws with four seconds left, following a game-saving block she made on the other end of the floor, to help Georgia Southern collect a 64-63 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory over visiting UT Arlington on Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Eagles move to 11-5 overall and 2-2 in the Sun Belt, tying last season's overall win total in the process while picking up their second in the series against the Mavericks (9-4, 3-2 SBC) in 11 tries. 

The back-and-forth contest which saw each team enjoy a double-digit lead at some point came down to the final minute of play. Claire Chastain's layup with 1:09 left gave UTA a five-point lead, 61-56, seemingly giving the Mavs control of the contest. But Mya Burns answered with a three-pointer of her own at the minute mark to draw the Eagles within two, 61-58.

On the next possession, the Mavs missed a pair of shots in the paint, and in transition, the Eagles were able to tie the ball game on Eden Johnson's layup with 23 seconds remaining.

UT Arlington called time out and answered with a layup by Starr Jacobs off the sidelines inbound, making the score 63-61 with 21 seconds left. The Mavs fouled Burns and she made one of two free throws to make it a one-point game with 11 seconds left. Again with a sideline inbounds play after the time out, UT Arlington found Terryn Milton alone in the lane for a seemingly wide-open layup, but Burns flew in from the left side and blocked the shot, which went off of Milton's legs out of bounds, giving possession back to the Eagles.

Burns got the ball on the Eagles' sideline out of bounds and drove down the left side, drawing a foul from Chastain and sinking the two go-ahead foul shots to make the score 64-63, Jacobs had the ball for the Mavs with a chance to win the game, but her drive to the basket resulted in a tie-up and the held ball gave possession back to the Eagles, who inbounded the ball to earn the victory.

Burns finished the contest with a game-high 23 points as the only Eagle to reach double figures. UTA placed four players in double figures, as Jacobs, Katie Ferrell and Chatain all registered 15 points on the day, with Milton ending up with 13.

Eagle of the Game
The second career double-double for Burns also featured a pair of blocked shots as Burns went 8-for-19 from the floor, but made 4-of-9 from three-point range. It was her fifth 20+ scoring performance of the season for the Eagles.

Stat of the Game
After defeating Auburn, 68-66, in the first game of the season, Georgia Southern had lost four straight games with the margin of victory was five points or less before collecting the win on Saturday against the Mavs.

Quotables • HEAR FULL POST-GAME COMMENTS FROM MYA BURNS AND HEAD COACH ANITA HOWARD
Mya Burns on what the win over the Mavericks means to the Eagles
"It just means a lot, coming off of 2-game losing streak, we didn't want it to go on any longer. Tough opponent, it was a tough game mentally and physically, but I'm happy we could pull it out."

Head Coach Anita Howard on the defensive possession that resulted in Mya Burns' block.
"I'm a defensive coach. We want to get a five-second deny, we want to try and get a steal. I said, 'let's defend first, see what we come up up' and that's what happened." 

Coach Howard on the win in a tight contest against the Mavs
"This is what it's all about. I'm so pleased, not just for the win, but how we won, how we fought and how we bounced back."

Next Up
Georgia Southern returns to action on Saturday, January 25, visiting Georgia State for an 11:30 a.m. Sun Belt Conference matchup with the Panthers in Atlanta.