Southern Wesleyan is not counting the result of its women’s basketball game Friday night against Georgia Southern, but the Lady Eagles certainly are acknowledging the outcome.

GSU’s 75-40 victory over Southern Wesleyan, a Central, S.C.,-based team that is a member of the lower-level National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, gave the Lady Eagles (4-8) a two-game winning streak for the first time this season.

Southern Wesleyan’s record remains 4-7. The Warriors designated the game an exhibition before it was played and, according to NAIA rules, will not have to count the result.

Southern Wesleyan also did not count the result of its losses to Charleston Southern (115-57 on Nov. 12) and Lander University (96-37 on Dec. 10) because those games were designated as exhibitions before they were played. The Warriors will not count the outcome of their next game Tuesday at South Carolina State because it has been earmarked as an exhibition.

GSU, however, is happily counting the result of a feel-good game in which all 14 Lady Eagles played and contributed (13 Lady Eagles scored and Lacie Dowling, who did not score, had a game-high five assists).

"You’re going to have two or three of those a year, if at all possible," GSU head coach Rusty Cram said of the game, which GSU led, 39-18, at halftime. "There have been years when we haven’t had any of those. But for our kids tonight, we get everybody in the ball game and, you know, you come off several losses, two losses in a row, go in the dressing room and see how that feels, you know?

"Two wins in a row, it’s a completely different atmosphere. All we’ve got left now are conference games, and the kids needed some confidence, and that’s what these type games are all about. They know that they can have some success, and I was just pleased to get everybody contributing."

A Hanner Fieldhouse crowd of 312 (the students are away on a break) watched as GSU cruised to victory behind Meredyth Frye’s 16 points and nine rebounds, both team highs. Frye, who has recovered from a broken nose she suffered in the season opener against Arizona, played for the first time in a month without wearing a face protector.

"I’m out of the mask, finally," Frye said, smiling. "I got cleared (Thursday). No restrictions. It felt great being out there, finally, without the mask. It’s more freedom. I feel so much more within my capabilities now."

MiMi DuBose scored 10 points, Samantha Williams had nine points and Jordi Cook came off the bench and added eight points for the Lady Eagles.

GSU’s reserves came off the bench and outscored Southern Wesleyan’s reserves, 36-7. The Lady Eagles out-rebounded the Warriors, 48-33, and scored 21 points off the Warriors’ 17 turnovers. GSU committed nine turnovers.

GSU was coming off a nine-day holiday break after beating Jacksonville (Fla.) University, 52-46, on Dec. 21 at Hanner Fieldhouse.

"We came back from Christmas break and we had two-a-days, so we’ve really been getting after it," Cook said of GSU’s practice sessions. "Coach (Cram) has made us do a lot of drills to get back and get in a rhythm as a team. It really felt good to end the year with a win."

Friday’s game was the second in a five-game home stand for GSU. The Lady Eagles will play host to Wofford at 5 p.m. Monday in a Southern Conference game. GSU also will play host to Samford (Jan. 7) and Chattanooga (Jan. 9).

"It definitely feels good to get confidence as a team," Cook said. "We’re all starting to play together and get that team chemistry."

Southern Wesleyan was led by Janaye Gillard, who scored a game-high 16 points. Ashley Cooper had 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.