MONROE, La. - Georgia Southern (GS) Lady Eagles notched its sixth straight road win on Saturday afternoon with an 86-72 Sun Belt Conference victory over host UL Monroe at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La.
The Eagles improved to 13-4 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt, also improving to 7-1 on the road this season. The six-game road winning streak, which dates back to November, is the longest for Georgia Southern since the 2009-10 team won seven straight away from home from January 16-February 22. ULM falls to 6-13 overall and 2-6 in the Sun Belt.
ULM opened up the game on a 10-4 run, as the Eagles struggled from the field, hitting just one of its first nine shots form the floor. But Georgia Southern closed the period on a 14-6 run and the Eagles would stretch that lead to ten, 43-33, at the break.
Georgia Southern used an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to expand their lead to 15 points, 72-57, and then cruise to the victory.
Four Eagles scored in double figures in the contest, led by Terren Ward's 21 points. Taya Gibson added 17 points, while Simone James scored 15 points and Ja'nya Love-Hill chipped in 14 points. Emma Merriweather led the Warhawks with 13 points and 19 rebounds in the contest.
Eagle of the Game
Gibson hit 6-of-9 shots from the floor and 5-of-7 shots from the foul line for her game-high 17 points. She also added six rebounds, a career-high four assists and three steals in the contest.
Stat of the Game
Georgia Southern enjoyed a 27-9 edge in fast break points over the Warhawks and also had a 22-11 edge in points off of turnovers.
Quotables
Head Coach Anita Howard on shaking off the slow start and picking up the road win
"We just talked about our two staple principles - rebound and run. At first, I thought when we rebounded the ball, we were too slow in transition. Merriweather, with her 19 rebounds, really slowed us down. Simone James really gave us a spark by getting us out in transition. And we just got back to boxing out and rebounding, which we worked on all week."
Next Up
Georgia Southern returns home to Hanner to host Louisiana on Thursday, January 26, in a 6 p.m. Sun Belt Conference contest against the Ragin' Cajuns.