Georgia Southern coaches didn't spend much time deciding who'll be the focus of their defense tonight.
Bulldog senior guard Kevin Hammack has long been a menace to the Eagles (11-15, 4-11), most recently racking up a career-high 32 points while going 16-for-17 from the free-throw line in Southern's 74-69 loss at The Citadel on Jan. 13. Hammack, who averages a team-high 13 points a game for the Bulldogs (7-19, 4-11), will visit Hanner Fieldhouse for the last time in tonight's 7:30 game.
“If he has that kind of game again, we are going to have that kind of problem again,” Eagle coach Jeff Price said. “He did a great job penetrating the ball, and certainly he's going to be a focus. Kevin's had good games against us every year he's been at The Citadel. He's been a thorn in our side.”
Hammack scored the final 10 points the game against the Eagles, which the Bulldogs forced overtime with a full-court pass and layup at the buzzer. The close defeat started a troubling trend for the Eagles, who went on to lose by three against Charleston, UNC Greensboro and Elon and by five to Chattanooga. Price is certain his players remember their last meeting with The Citadel well.
“That stung, and it was kind of the beginning of us going into this pattern of struggling in close games,” Price said. “That game really, really took the wind out of our sails. It was a game we felt like we could win, and, to their credit, they found a way to win it.”
Eagle point guard Dwayne Foreman said avenging the loss is a priority tonight.
“It's basically about revenge,” he said. “They got a game that we should have won, but we had a lack of focus in certain aspects in the game. The Citadel is like a rivalry to us because the majority of the time we play each other it's a good game. It's all about revenge.”
Both Georgia Southern and The Citadel have dropped nine of the last 11 games and are tied with Wofford for last place in the Southern Conference's South Division. The Eagles lost to Elon, 70-67, at Hanner on Thursday, and the Bulldogs struggled against Furman's zone in a 69-51 home loss on Saturday. The Phoenix shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the win over the Eagles.
“We came off a great defensive effort against Furman, and I was really disappointed to see us take two steps back defensively against Elon,” Price said. “You'd think we'd take off and continue to defend well, and we didn't do that. If we are going to have difficultly scoring, and that obviously has been a pattern, then we have no choice but to become the best defensive team we can be. That's been our focus.”
Senior guard Donny McLendon is The Citadel's second-leading scorer with 12.4 points a game, but the former West Laurens High School star, is playing with a stress fracture and has shot a career-worst 15.9 percent the last four games. The Eagles are led in scoring by senior guard Donte Gennie (16.2 ppg) and junior forward Louis Graham (13.8).
After tonight the Eagles have two regular-season games remaining - Thursday at Wofford and Saturday's home matchup against the College of Charleston - before the SoCon tournament begins Feb. 28 in Charleston, S.C.
“We just need to do everything we can to try to finish strong going into the tournament,” Price said. “We have a chance to do that with two of our last three at home. We let one get away the other night, but that one is over with. You have to move on and see if we can get a couple games down the stretch here to get a little bit of momentum.”
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
Bulldog senior guard Kevin Hammack has long been a menace to the Eagles (11-15, 4-11), most recently racking up a career-high 32 points while going 16-for-17 from the free-throw line in Southern's 74-69 loss at The Citadel on Jan. 13. Hammack, who averages a team-high 13 points a game for the Bulldogs (7-19, 4-11), will visit Hanner Fieldhouse for the last time in tonight's 7:30 game.
“If he has that kind of game again, we are going to have that kind of problem again,” Eagle coach Jeff Price said. “He did a great job penetrating the ball, and certainly he's going to be a focus. Kevin's had good games against us every year he's been at The Citadel. He's been a thorn in our side.”
Hammack scored the final 10 points the game against the Eagles, which the Bulldogs forced overtime with a full-court pass and layup at the buzzer. The close defeat started a troubling trend for the Eagles, who went on to lose by three against Charleston, UNC Greensboro and Elon and by five to Chattanooga. Price is certain his players remember their last meeting with The Citadel well.
“That stung, and it was kind of the beginning of us going into this pattern of struggling in close games,” Price said. “That game really, really took the wind out of our sails. It was a game we felt like we could win, and, to their credit, they found a way to win it.”
Eagle point guard Dwayne Foreman said avenging the loss is a priority tonight.
“It's basically about revenge,” he said. “They got a game that we should have won, but we had a lack of focus in certain aspects in the game. The Citadel is like a rivalry to us because the majority of the time we play each other it's a good game. It's all about revenge.”
Both Georgia Southern and The Citadel have dropped nine of the last 11 games and are tied with Wofford for last place in the Southern Conference's South Division. The Eagles lost to Elon, 70-67, at Hanner on Thursday, and the Bulldogs struggled against Furman's zone in a 69-51 home loss on Saturday. The Phoenix shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the win over the Eagles.
“We came off a great defensive effort against Furman, and I was really disappointed to see us take two steps back defensively against Elon,” Price said. “You'd think we'd take off and continue to defend well, and we didn't do that. If we are going to have difficultly scoring, and that obviously has been a pattern, then we have no choice but to become the best defensive team we can be. That's been our focus.”
Senior guard Donny McLendon is The Citadel's second-leading scorer with 12.4 points a game, but the former West Laurens High School star, is playing with a stress fracture and has shot a career-worst 15.9 percent the last four games. The Eagles are led in scoring by senior guard Donte Gennie (16.2 ppg) and junior forward Louis Graham (13.8).
After tonight the Eagles have two regular-season games remaining - Thursday at Wofford and Saturday's home matchup against the College of Charleston - before the SoCon tournament begins Feb. 28 in Charleston, S.C.
“We just need to do everything we can to try to finish strong going into the tournament,” Price said. “We have a chance to do that with two of our last three at home. We let one get away the other night, but that one is over with. You have to move on and see if we can get a couple games down the stretch here to get a little bit of momentum.”
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
