PREVIEW: Eagles Return Home to Face Off with Mercer Tuesday - Georgia Southern University Athletics

STATESBORO – Georgia Southern men's basketball returns to the court on Tuesday evening at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, hosting in-state foe Mercer. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Varsity Network.

THE OPENING TIP

Georgia Southern returns to the friendly confines of the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center on Tuesday evening, hosting in-state foe Mercer. Tuesday will mark the first meeting between the two sides since 2021, where the Bears defeated the Eagles, 77-68, in Macon, Georgia.
Dallas Gardner continues to work back into prime form on the court, collecting his second double-double of the season on Friday in Atlanta. The guard posted 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, scoring seven of his points from the charity stripe. Gardner has the only double-doubles for the program this season and has been a key contributor off the bench. He was one of four Eagles to score in double figures against the Jackets, joining Truman Claytor IV (24), Eltramon Smith (20), and Josh Dixon (13).
Eltramon Smith put together his second successful performance of the year on Friday, adding 20 points to his season tally after posting a 24-point effort in the Eagles' season opener. For the week, Smith produced 44 points on 14-of-27 (.519) shooting, knocked down 9-of-11 free throws, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished one assists, recorded two blocks, and swiped one steal.
Truman Claytor IV showed why he was one of the more elite portal prospects in this year's class on Friday against Georgia Tech, rebounding from a three-point effort in the Eagles' season opener, to producing 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Claytor knocked down three three-pointers to add to his tally, while grabbing six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Georgia Southern erased all questions about if they could rebound against a long Yellow Jackets lineup on Friday. Despite coming out on the wrong side of the scoreboard, the Eagles produced the most offensive rebounds in the Charlie Henry era, grabbing 24 and winning the O-Boards tally 24-9. Overall, Georgia Southern grabbed 45 rebounds in the contest to the Yellow Jackets 34, while leading the second chance opportunity 23-14. The Eagles also forced the Yellow Jackets into 15 turnovers Friday, pushing the season tally to 30 on the year (15.0 turnovers per game).

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Players Mentioned

Truman Claytor IV

Josh Dixon

Dallas Gardner

Eltramon Smith

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