Georgia Southern University
23-6,16-2Sun Belt
Marshall
23-8,13-5Sun Belt
CHAMPIONS! Eagles Claim Sun Belt Title With 78-72 OT Win At Marshall
2/27/2026 9:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Georgia Southern wins its first Sun Belt regular season title and seventh overall on Friday night in Huntington
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - Georgia Southern women's basketball captured its first Sun Belt Conference regular season championship on Friday evening with a thrilling 78-72 overtime victory over Marshall at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W. Va.
The Eagles finish the 2025-26 regular season with a 23-6 overall record and a 16-2 mark in the Sun Belt Conference, the first regular season conference championship since Georgia Southern won the SoCon title in 2000-01. The Eagles' 23 wins are also now a new school record for wins in a season in the NCAA era (post-1985) and tied for the third most all-time in program history.
This is the seventh overall regular season conference championship for Georgia Southern women's basketball, adding to three NSWAC championships (1986-87, 1987-88 & 1989-90) and three SoCon championships (1993-94, 1997-98 and 2000-01).
The game was tight from the outset as Georgia Southern hit 3-of-5 threes in the first quarter, tying the Herd at 15-all at the end of the first period. The home team got hot from the floor in the second quarter, hitting 10-of-15 shots from the floor en route to taking a 38-33 lead at the break.
The Eagles came out of halftime on a tear, embarking on a 12-0 run to take a 45-38 lead with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter. Marshall answered, using a 13-3 run at the end of the quarter, but McKenna Eddings drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Georgia Southern a 57-56 lead going into the fourth.
A three-point play by Marshall's Timberly Yeast with 16 seconds remaining tied the score at 70-all, and the Eagles' shot to win it in regulation fell short, sending the game to overtime.
The Eagles then held Marshall without a field goal for the entire overtime period, using a 6-0 run to take a two-possession lead and ultimately hold on for the historic victory.
Four Eagles reached double figures on the night, led by Kishyah Anderson's 20 points. Kayla Cleaveland finished with 19 points, while McKenna Eddings added 18 points and Destiny Garrett finished with 14. Timaya Lewis-Eutsey led Marshall with 22 points.
Player of the Game
Cleaveland hit 5-of-7 three-pointers en route to her 19 points, a second straight high for the freshman in a Sun Belt game this season. She added six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 42 minutes of action and was +10 for the Eagles while on the floor.
Stat of the Game
The win was Georgia Southern's first overtime conference win on the road since an 83-81 SoCon win at Western Carolina on February 12, 2007.
Quotables
Head coach Hana Haden on the historic win
"I think this is such an incredible moment for our program and for Team 52. This is a team that has had an amazing amount of milestones all year. For us to win a regular season championship - our student-athletes are the type of young ladies who deserve to win because of how hard they work and how much they have poured into this season."
Coach Haden on the Eagles' prospects in the Sun Belt tournament in a week's time
"This is going to be a tough tournament. I'm happy this year that we've put ourselves in the position to play in the semifinals right away. I do think we have a team that has the mentality of not being satisfied. Once we get to Pensacola, we'll take it one game at a time and be ready for the second season."
Next Up
Georgia Southern will play on Sunday, March 8, at 12:30 PM ET in the first of two semifinal games from Pensacola against the winner of Game 9, which pits No. 4 seed James Madison against the winner of Friday's Game 7. This is the first time that Georgia Southern has advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament.
