Georgia Southern women's basketball used a big second half to down South Alabama, 85-70, in Sun Belt Conference action on Saturday afternoon from the Mitchell Center in Mobile.
The win by the Eagles (14-13, 4-10 SBC) was the fifth straight over the Jaguars (8-19, 1-13 SBC) dating back to 2021. The win also halted a 10-game slide by Georgia Southern.
South Alabama hit three three-pointers en route to taking a 23-17 lead in the first quarter. Each team scored 21 points in the second quarter as the Jaguars led by six, 44-38, at the halftime break.
Georgia Southern answered the bell in the second half, however, opening on a 12-6 run to tie the score at 50-all. The Jaguars scored the next two buckets to take a 54-50 lead, but the Eagles ended the period on a 12-3 run to take a 62-57 lead.
During the third quarter, Eden Johnson blocked a pair of three-point attempts within a minute span to give Georgia Southern 132 blocked shots on the season, setting a new single-season record. The old record of 131 was set by the 1980-81 squad.
Georgia Southern extended its lead to 12, 71-59, with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter thanks to opening the period on a 9-2 run and South Alabama would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Terren Ward led a quartet of Eagles in double figures with 25 points. Eden Johnson added 15 points and three blocks, while Zaria Johnson chipped in 12 points and Constance Thomas added 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Eagle of the Game
Ward shook off collecting two fouls in the game's first minute of play to hit 10-of-20 shots from the floor, including 2-of-5 from three-point range, for her game-high 25 points. It was her 19th game of 20+ points this season and fifth straight.
Stat of the Game
Georgia Southern registered 14 steals, the most against a Sun Belt opponent this season, and turned those steals into 22 points.
Quotables
Head Coach Anita Howard on the second half performance leading to today's win
"We started executing how we knew we could execute offensively and defensively. I thought we played a little more up tempo today, and that's what I want to see. We took 73 shots and that's what Eagle Basketball is all about. Pushing the pace, rebounding, we almost got to 50 rebounds. We got back to playing Georgia Southern basketball and luckily we was able to get a win."
On breaking the single-season record in blocked shots
"We don't try to set out to block shots. We do try to rotate so that we're in position to create a great defensive stop. For us to have our hands up. I thought Eden [Johnson] has done a phenomenal job in her career to lead us in that category. It shows her discipline on defense to be able to stand there, time the basketball. For us to have another record, and have it be on the defensive end, I'm excited."
Next Up
The Eagles return home on Thursday, February 22, to host James Madison in a 5 p.m. Sun Belt contest at Hanner Fieldhouse.
