Georgia Southern women's basketball began the game on a 31-2 run to collect a 99-47 season-opening win over visiting Allen University on Monday evening at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles (1-0) pick up a win in their season opener for a second straight season, and do so in dominating fashion. The 99 points scored are the second-most in a season opener in school history, behind only a 101-66 win over Tift in the very first intercollegiate game played by Georgia Southern women's basketball against Tift College in 1974.
Georgia Southern shot 60 percent from the floor in the first quarter and finished the period with a 34-8 lead, holding the Yellowjackets to just two field goals from the floor. The Eagles took a 56-20 lead into the break. Allen came out of halftime and outscored the Eagles by a 9-3 margin over the first five minutes of the third quarter, but Georgia Southern quickly re-assumed control, ending the frame on a 19-3 run and coasted to the victory.
Seven Eagles reached double figures on the evening, led by junior Terren Ward, who delivered 15 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Le'Andrea Gillis came off the bench to add 12 points, while senior Ja'nya Love Hill, freshman Paris Miller and graduate Andreana Wrister each chipped in 11 points. Constance Thomas had 10 points to go with a career high-tying seven assists and a career-high five steals, while graduate Diamond Stokes added 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocked shots. Allen was led by Keyshuna Fair's 15 points."It feels good," Georgia Southern Head Coach Anita Howard said about opening the season with a win at home. "I thought Hanner was electric tonight. Eagle Nation is one of a kind. It was good to shake off the rust in front of the home crowd. Allen competed with us down the stretch, so credit to them. I told our team, 'Don't look at the score, just keep competing.'"We got a chance to play everyone a good amount of minutes," Coach Howard said about her team's depth. "We have strength in numbers, and I don't want us to be scout-able. I thought we dominated in the first quarter, and let up a little bit after that, but one of our goals is to score 20 points in every quarter and we did that tonight."The Eagles return to action on Sunday, visiting Charleston Southern for a 1 p.m. contest against the Bucs in Charleston, S.C.Print Friendly Version
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