The Georgia Southern Eagle basketball teams split a pair of games Thursday night. The men squandered an 11-point lead with 1:36 to play as they fell 84-83 at Marshall. The women nearly did the same as they led 35-21 at the half and then hung on for a 63-61 win over Marshall.
For the women it was almost Deja Vue as January 7 in Huntington the Eagles had a 54-31 lead and saw the Thundering Herd storm back as they went on a 22-0 fourth quarter run before the Eagles eventually went on to win 83-80. Thursday night at Hanner Fieldhouse Marshall cut a 19-point Eagle lead down to two, but the Eagles were able to hang on as an Abby Beeman three-pointer at the buzzer missed off the right rim.
“We just have to focus,” said Eagle coach Anita Howard. “We do this thing where, when we don't score, we also don't play defense. All credit to Marshall - that's why they are called the Thundering Herd. They are a second half team, but I thought we showed poise down the stretch tonight. When we get these leads, we have to make sure we can maintain those kinds of leads."
The Eagles dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Thundering Herd by a 47-26 margin. The +21-rebounding margin is the largest this season for Georgia Southern against a Division I opponent.
Terren Ward led the Eagles on the night with her ninth double-double of the season, with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Eden Johnson also reached double figures with 10 points. Marshall placed three players in double figures, led by Sydni Scott's 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
The Eagles (17-7, 9-6 SBC) sweep the season series from Marshall (15-11, 8-7 SBC) in their first year as new Sun Belt rivals. Georgia Southern ties the 2016-17 team for the most Sun Belt wins in a season (9) since joining the league in 2014. Up next Georgia Southern hosts Coastal Carolina Saturday at 2:00
In the men’s game late foul trouble and injuries forced the Eagles to finish the game with five scholarship players, including three freshmen. The Eagles were without Kaden Archie, who was out with an illness, and Tai Strickland left the game with an injury midway through the second half. Jalen Finch, Kamari Brown, Tyren Moore and Carlos Curry all fouled out in the second half.
Georgia Southern built a 30-23 lead as they went on a 19-3 run in the first half sparked by three-pointers by Derrick Harris Jr. and Andrei Savrasov.
Andrew Taylor scored 28 points and hit the game winner with 14.4 seconds remaining to lift Marshall to an 84-83 Sun Belt men's basketball win over Georgia Southern Thursday night in the Cam Henderson Center.
The Eagles got the ball to Savrasov on the final possession of the game, but the redshirt senior lost it in traffic.
Savrasov finished with 20 points and six rebounds, and Moore scored 16 points. Strickland finished with 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, and Finch tallied eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
Georgia Southern falls to 14-14 overall and 7-8 in league play. The Eagles travel to Southern Miss Saturday for their final road contest of the regular season. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
