The Georgia Southern women’s basketball team was very close to evening their conference record this past weekend but had to settle for a split with South Alabama as they lost a tough 59-58 game on Friday before rebounding with a 68-56 win on Saturday.

The Eagles currently stand 3-5 in conference play, and while Coach Anita Howard was frustrated with the overtime loss Friday, she continues to see progress in her youthful team.

“South Alabama is currently second in the league, so getting a sweep of them would have been huge,” said Howard. “We could have been frustrated after the loss and laid an egg that second game, but I thought we came back and had a different kind of focus Saturday.”

“I think losing by one point and had the game pretty much sewn up before they came back touched them a little differently,” said Howard. “Film session they seemed more focused, and we felt we could play better than what we had shown Friday. I thought they did a great job responding to a one-point loss in less than 24 hours.”

You won’t find many Eagle players among the league leaders in the conference in many statistical categories, but Coach Howard feels that is a reflection of the unselfishness the Eagle players are showing, as each night it could be a different player to help lead the charge.

Right now, A’Tyanna Gaulden is our leading scorer, and we were able to win with her playing minimal minutes,” said Howard. “That shows our team we are able to win with various players, and we can go to our bench and still be successful.”

“I called A’Tyanna to go in the game Saturday,” said Howard. “She told me she thought the other point guard we had in at the time, Ja’nya Love-Hill was playing better, and she told me to leave her in the game, because she saw she was hot. That just shows you the selflessness of the team. It’s not about the me, it’s about the we.”

With a variety of players stepping up on any given night it becomes difficult for teams to prepare for someone like Georgia Southern who have eight players who average more than five points per game.

“That is what breeds so much competition in practice,” said Howard. “You never know when your number is going to be called, so everyone has to be ready at all times. Daeja Holems stepped up and hit a big shot on Friday for us, but on Saturday I thought Sarah Moore did a phenomenal job inside. You have a freshman like Terren Ward competing with a senior like Tatum Barber in practice, and it makes everyone better.”

This weekend the Eagles welcome in Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers have struggled this year and are currently on the bottom of the eastern division with a record of 0-6.

“We have been diving into teams we have played in the conference so far, so it’s a little strange to find out about someone new like Coastal Carolina,” said Howard. “Last year they had a great chance to win the conference, so they are a veteran team even though their record doesn’t show it.”

Coastal is led offensively by Aja Blount who is averaging 13.8 points per game, and 7.3 rebounds per contest. Deaja Richardson comes in averaging 9.3 points per game and Alana Denson is scoring nine points per game.

“They have a great inside and outside game,” said Howard. “Going on the road and playing them will be a different kind of challenges for our newcomers because they haven’t seen them. There are a lot of unknowns that we will have to figure out as the game goes on. We are tops in the nation for rebounding and will have to keep that up this weekend. Our biggest Achilles heel has been turning the ball over, so we have to protect the ball better.”

The Eagles and Chanticleers are scheduled for a 6:00 start on Friday and a 2:00 start on Saturday.