HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - Junior Simone James made a pair of stellar defensive plays in the final 15 seconds and Georgia Southern women's basketball withstood a 22-0 fourth-quarter run by Marshall to collect an 83-80 Sun Belt Conference road victory over the Thundering Herd on Saturday afternoon in Huntington, W. Va.

The Eagles improved to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference, while Marshall fell to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the Sun Belt.

Georgia Southern led 24-15 after the first quarter and build a 40-29 lead at the break. The Eagles pushed that lead to 23 points at one point, 54-31, midway thorough the third quarter.

A three-point play by Taya Gibson with 6:08 remaining in the fourth quarter had the Eagles in front, 79-58 - the most points given up by Marshall against an opponent this year - but the Thundering Herd began their furious comeback with back-to-back baskets by Rashala Scott. Five and a half minutes later, another layup by Scott with 52 seconds left capped the 22-0 run and put Marshall up, 80-79.

On the next possession, the Eagles' Gibson again was fouled on her way to the basket. She hit a pair of free throws with 29 seconds left to put the Georgia Southern back in front. The Thundering Herd gave the ball to Scott again, but the Eagles came up with the stop as Scott missed her layup. Scott was able to get her own miss, but James stepped in and took the charge on the baseline to give the ball back to the Eagles.

Andreana Wrister made one of two free throws to push the lead to two, 82-80, with 10.3 seconds left. A Marshall time out advanced the ball, but James then stole the inbounds pass and was fouled. She made one of two free throws for the final margin and the Eagles defended a last-ditch three at the buzzer to escape with the win.

Terren Ward led a trio of Eagles in double figures on the day with 20 points. Andreana Wrister scored a season-high 13 points while Le'Andrea Gillis chipped in 11 points. Scott led all scorers for Marshall with 24 points.

Eagle of the Game
James had nine points, including going 5-of-6 from the free throw line, and grabbed three rebounds in addition to three steals, none bigger than her steal with eight seconds left in regulation.

Stats of the Game
Georgia Southern had 20 assists, the sixth time this season in which the Eagles have had 20+ assists in a game. The Eagles are now averaging 18.3 assists per game in Sun Belt play this year.

Quotables
Head Coach Anita Howard on withstanding the second-half Marshall comeback
"Credit to Marshall, when we were up by 20-plus points, they didn't stop. And that just shows you how competitive Sun Belt play is. I'm very pleased with our effort down the stretch, where we were able to regain focus, take care of the basketball and execute our defensive assignments. Momentum was definitely going their way."

On the defensive plays at the end of the game to win
"When you can win a game on those defensive plays, a steal, a charge - that warms my heart. We didn't play defense for a long stretch but we did it on those two crucial possessions. In order to win games, you have to be prepared or you have to be a little lucky. Today we had a little of both."

Next Up
Georgia Southern returns to action on Thursday, hosting another new Sun Belt foe in Old Dominion for a 6 p.m. contest at Hanner Fieldhouse.