Georgia Southern weathered an early storm of red-hot Savannah State shooting and finished the night by showcasing its own offensive firepower.
    Tookie Brown canned a 3 at the 10:45 mark of the second half to give Georgia Southern the lead for good and it was all Eagles from there as the visitors from Statesboro ran away with a 94-75 victory over the Tigers Thursday night in Savannah.
    ““We made some adjustments, and I think it took our guys a little bit of time to adjust to the rhythm of the game,” GS coach Mark Byington said. “And you got to give those guys some credit - they made some tough 3s, and with a team like that, it's contagious.”
    Ike Smith continued his stellar start to the season, leading all scorers with 29 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Tookie Brown added seven more assists and his shot finally came around as he contributed 20 points to the winning cause.
    Mike Hughes showed why he’s one of the best defenders in the Sun Belt as he recorded two steals and pulled down five defensive rebounds. He also found his stroke after halftime, drilling some key shots to total 14 points as the Eagles pulled away down the stretch.
    Georgia Southern’s night looked like it would be easy enough as the Eagles (4-3) raced out to an 11-4 lead before the first media time out of the night.
    But then the Tigers’ long-range game sparked to life.
    Savannah State hit on 11-of-17 from behind the arc in the first half. Austin Dasent - who led the Tigers with 18 points - canned five 3’s in the first half while Joshua Floyd (13 points) hit on four more from long range.
    “We have to play in tough environments in Sun Belt play and different times of the year, and this game shows me we can handle the environment,” Byington said. “Tonight, we played to win. We didn't always play great in the first half, but I think we understood and had faith and stayed the course.”
    The barrage left Georgia Southern playing from behind for most of the first 20 minutes of action. But even as the 3’s rained down, the Eagles were able to tread water and stay close, pulling within 44-43 when Brown beat the first half buzzer with a layup.
    Georgia Southern continued to lag just behind as the second half got underway. The Eagles tied the score on eight occasions, only to see the Tigers respond. But when Savannah State continued to fire away from behind the arc after the Eagles edged ahead midway through the half, the Tigers’ sharpshooting was no longer there.
    “The second half was contagious the other way to where a couple guys missed some maybe they normally make, and it started going there,” Byington said. “We did a better job of guarding the 3-point line, and I was proud of our team making adjustments in the second half.”
    The Eagles’ lead pressed into double-digits when Hughes hit a 3 with 5:30 to play and another triple from the junior guard put GS up 83-70 with just over four minutes remaining. Georgia Southern has struggled from the free throw line at times over the last few seasons and sat at 55 percent at halftime, but Smith, Brown, B.J. Gladden and Devontae Boykins all connected from the charity stripe in the final minutes to keep the Eagles comfortably out in front.
    The Eagles have played four of their last five games in the state of Georgia, but haven’t had a home game since their home opener on Nov. 14. Georgia Southern will finally return to the floor at Hanner Fieldhouse Sunday as the Eagles host Florida Gulf Coast before quickly repacking and embarking on a four-game road trip.
   
Lady Eagles
snap skid
    The Georgia Southern women’s team ended its five-game losing streak with a 50-45 victory over Savannah State in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
    After trailing in the opening minutes of play, the Eagles (3-5) broke off a 24-6 run that put them ahead by a count of 28-14 at halftime. Georgia Southern was unable to extend the lead over the final 20 minutes, but were able to keep the Tigers (2-5) at bay to earn the win.
    “ I am proud of the team,” GS coach Kip Drown said. “(Savannah State) took a shot at us there at the end, but we handled that and made some free throws down the stretch. Overall, it was a good win for us and I’m proud of the team for responding.”
    Sierra Butler stole the show for the Eagles. The junior forward led all scorers with 20 points and came up just one rebound shy of a double-double. Three of her six field goals came from behind the arc and she connected on five of her seven free throw attempts.
    Butler was the only Georgia Southern player to reach double-digit scoring on the night, but eight fellow Eagles scored points to make the victory a solid team effort.
    Both teams struggled to find offensive success. The Eagles shot just 28 percent from the floor while the Tigers managed only a 24 percent clip. Overall, the teams combined to shoot 32-for-125 on field goal attempts.
    But a tough shooting night didn’t get the Eagles down. Georgia Southern forced Savannah State into committing 17 turnovers and made the most of their opportunities, scoring 19 points off of those miscues.
    With the win, the Eagles hope to build some momentum as their road-heavy non-conference schedule continues. Georgia Southern will travel to Charleston Southern following next week’s finals before returning to Hanner Fieldhouse Dec. 17 for just their second home game since Nov. 13.