Reversing a two-game skid won’t be easy for the Georgia Southern Lady Eagles, who host one of the Southern Conference’s top teams today at 5 p.m.
Davidson (13-3, 4-1) comes to Statesboro tied with Chattanooga for first place in the league standings and boasting the second-best scoring offense (72.2 points per game) and defense (60.1) in the conference.
“They are a talented group — well-coached, well-disciplined and fundamentally sound with good senior leadership,” Eagle coach Rusty Cram said. “They don’t have many weaknesses.”
As for Georgia Southern (9-7, 2-3), one of its biggest deficiencies has been a lack of an inside presence, a void forward Chequilla Jessie has filled recently. The junior reached double figures for the third consecutive game Monday, tying a season high with 14 points at UNC Greensboro. She also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
While Cram is thrilled to have Jessie carry the load inside, he said the team is looking to get its guards back on track. Continuing to work on offense, timing and fundamentals has been a top priority for the Eagles, whose 34.7 field-goal percentage ranks last in the league.
“We are still struggling with scoring and are trying to find some consistency,” Cram said.
Chattanooga snapped the Wildcats 10-game win streak on Monday, knocking down 15 3-pointers to pick up the 89-76 road victory. Davidson has won six straight against the Eagles and eight of the last 10. The Wildcats are led by juniors Katie Hamilton (11.7) and Danielle Hemerka (10.5).
“Anybody on their team can beat you,” Cram said. “They are probably the best-rounded team we’ve played. They have a ton of experience, and you can’t just key on one person.”
The first 200 fans will receive a free slice of Domino’s Pizza and a free Domino’s Pizza keychain.
Men look to bounce back
The Georgia Southern men, in the midst of crucial three-game road trip, know The Citadel is a far better team than its 5-11 (2-3 SoCon) record indicates.
Yes, the Bulldogs dropped 10 of their first 12 games but six of those losses came against Michigan State, Iowa, Notre Dame, Southern California, South Carolina and West Virginia. Since then, The Citadel has picked up road wins at conference foes Elon and Wofford.
“Their overall record is misleading because we play different types of schedules,” Eagle coach Jeff Price said. “Anytime a team can win two games on the road in this league, they have proven themselves to be a pretty darn good team. They’re a much improved team from last year.”
Under first-year coach Ed Conroy, the Bulldogs are paced by Dublin’s Donny McLendon, a senior guard averaging 13.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game. Senior guard Kevin Hammack also averages in double figures with 11.2 points per contest.
Conroy said controlling the game’s pace will be critical.
“We’ve got to slow them down and make sure we keep the tempo where we’d like to have it,” he said.
Georgia Southern’s three-game win streak came to a halt with a 67-58 loss at Chattanooga on Wednesday when the Eagles were doomed by 2-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line, a problem Price hopes his team will correct today.
The 2 p.m. game will be televised by SportsSouth.
Davidson (13-3, 4-1) comes to Statesboro tied with Chattanooga for first place in the league standings and boasting the second-best scoring offense (72.2 points per game) and defense (60.1) in the conference.
“They are a talented group — well-coached, well-disciplined and fundamentally sound with good senior leadership,” Eagle coach Rusty Cram said. “They don’t have many weaknesses.”
As for Georgia Southern (9-7, 2-3), one of its biggest deficiencies has been a lack of an inside presence, a void forward Chequilla Jessie has filled recently. The junior reached double figures for the third consecutive game Monday, tying a season high with 14 points at UNC Greensboro. She also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
While Cram is thrilled to have Jessie carry the load inside, he said the team is looking to get its guards back on track. Continuing to work on offense, timing and fundamentals has been a top priority for the Eagles, whose 34.7 field-goal percentage ranks last in the league.
“We are still struggling with scoring and are trying to find some consistency,” Cram said.
Chattanooga snapped the Wildcats 10-game win streak on Monday, knocking down 15 3-pointers to pick up the 89-76 road victory. Davidson has won six straight against the Eagles and eight of the last 10. The Wildcats are led by juniors Katie Hamilton (11.7) and Danielle Hemerka (10.5).
“Anybody on their team can beat you,” Cram said. “They are probably the best-rounded team we’ve played. They have a ton of experience, and you can’t just key on one person.”
The first 200 fans will receive a free slice of Domino’s Pizza and a free Domino’s Pizza keychain.
Men look to bounce back
The Georgia Southern men, in the midst of crucial three-game road trip, know The Citadel is a far better team than its 5-11 (2-3 SoCon) record indicates.
Yes, the Bulldogs dropped 10 of their first 12 games but six of those losses came against Michigan State, Iowa, Notre Dame, Southern California, South Carolina and West Virginia. Since then, The Citadel has picked up road wins at conference foes Elon and Wofford.
“Their overall record is misleading because we play different types of schedules,” Eagle coach Jeff Price said. “Anytime a team can win two games on the road in this league, they have proven themselves to be a pretty darn good team. They’re a much improved team from last year.”
Under first-year coach Ed Conroy, the Bulldogs are paced by Dublin’s Donny McLendon, a senior guard averaging 13.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game. Senior guard Kevin Hammack also averages in double figures with 11.2 points per contest.
Conroy said controlling the game’s pace will be critical.
“We’ve got to slow them down and make sure we keep the tempo where we’d like to have it,” he said.
Georgia Southern’s three-game win streak came to a halt with a 67-58 loss at Chattanooga on Wednesday when the Eagles were doomed by 2-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line, a problem Price hopes his team will correct today.
The 2 p.m. game will be televised by SportsSouth.
