PENSACOLA, Fla. - Senior Taya Gibson's career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds were not enough as No. 6 seeded Georgia Southern fell to No. 11-seed Arkansas State, 81-76, in overtime in Wednesday night's Sun Belt Conference Tournament Second Round at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.
The Eagles see their season come to a close with a 20-8 record, the first 20 win season for Georgia Southern in 20 years. Arkansas State (13-18) advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 3 seed Southern Miss on Friday.
Arkansas State shot a blistering 58.8 percent, including hitting five three-pointers, in putting up 27 points in the first quarter and leading by as many as 14 points. Georgia Southern cut that lead to single digits, 36-27, on a bucket by Gibson right at the end of the half.
In the second half, the Eagles cut down on their turnovers, allowing Georgia Southern to climb back into the contest. Georgia Southern committed 15 turnovers in the first half, but only four in the second half. The Eagles put up 26 points in the third quarter and led, 53-50, at the end of the third quarter.
The Eagles took a four-point lead into the final minute of regulation, 71-67, but a three-pointer by Alea Gibson cut the lead to one. Georgia Southern missed three of four free throws in the final minute that could have helped seal the victory. Lauryn Pendleton's baseline jumper with eight seconds left tied the score at 72-all and sent the game into an extra frame.
Arkansas State scored the first six points of overtime and held Georgia Southern to just 2-of-8 from the floor to take the win.
Gibson led a trio of Eagles in double figures with her career-high 26 points. Terren Ward added 17 points and Simone James chipped in 14. Izzy Higginbottom led the Red Wolves with a game-high 28 points.
Eagle of the Game
Gibson hit 9-of-19 shots from the floor, including a three, and went 7-for-12 from the line for her career-high 26 points. Her 14 rebounds included eight on the offensive glass, and she added two assists and a steal.
Stat of the Game
Buoyed by the strong first-quarter performance, Arkansas State held a 31-9 edge in points off of turnovers against the Eagles.
Quotables
Anita Howard on the second-round loss to the Red Wolves
"First of all, a shout out to Des [Head Coach Desiree Rogers] and Arkansas State. They have done a phenomenal job and are really clicking on all cylinders. Their record is not an indication of who they are and we saw that today. I'm not happy. Nobody's happy with losing. But we committed 23 turnovers and shot 45 percent from the free throw line. You can't do that on any night, much less in the tournament, and expect to win. Arkansas State was game ready, with 27 points in the first quarter. We finally woke up in the second half. Our team left it all out on the floor tonight. But to go into overtime and lose by single digits - we should have gotten blown out, with how we played. And that's just an indication of how good we can be."
Next Up
Georgia Southern returns four starters and 10 players overall from this season's 20-8 squad for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.
