Terren Ward's 25 points off the bench and a Georgia Southern Lady Eagles defense that forced 20 turnovers on the day helped the Eagles claim a 72-61 Sun Belt Conference women's basketball victory over visiting James Madison on Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles (15-6, 7-5 SBC) swept the season series from the new conference rivals, handing James Madison (18-6, 8-4 SBC) its third loss in its last four games.
Georgia Southern started off the contest hot from long range, hitting 3-of-3 threes en route to a 19-11 first-quarter lead. James Madison fought back to tie the game at 28-all with a minute left in the second quarter, but Terren Ward hit a pull-up jumper with two seconds left to give the Eagles a 30-28 lead at the break.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 12-4 run to open up a 10-point lead, 42-32, midway through the third quarter. James Madison closed to within three, 60-57, on a basket by Kobe King-Hawea with three minutes left in the contest, but Ward would hit 6-of-7 free throws over the final two minutes to help clinch the victory.
Ward finished with 25 points to lead all scorers on the day for the Eagles, while Ja'nya Love-Hill added 11 points and six assists, while James Madison was led by Kiki Jefferson's double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Eagle of the Game
Ward was just 5-of-15 shooting from the floor for the game, but hit 4-of-4 from three-point range and 11-of-13 from the foul line. Her 25 points are the eighth 20+ point game this season, with seven of those coming in Sun Belt play, and she added six rebounds and a pair of steals.
Stats of the Game
Georgia Southern forced 20 turnovers for a second straight game, also forcing 20 by Georgia State on Thursday night. The Eagles turned those 20 turnovers into 21 points, holding a 21-10 edge in points off of turnovers against the Dukes.
Quotables
Head Coach Anita Howard on opening February with two straight wins
"February is where teams are growing, and becoming who they're going to be for the tournament. I call it February frenzy. I knew it was going to be a ballgame today. We were going to have to come in here and battle. We lost the rebounding edge, but I'm pleased that we remained poised through their pressure and their hot shooting to come out with this team win."
Next Up
Georgia Southern travels to Old Dominion for a 6:30 p.m. Sun Belt Conference contest in Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, February 9.
