Game 1: Eagles Bounce Back With 58-47 Win Over UMES Friday
Georgia Southern women's basketball bounced back from its first loss of the year to defeat UMES, 58-47, on Friday afternoon in the Battle on the Banks tournament hosted by Rutgers.
The Eagles moved to 5-1 on the year with the victory, while the Hawks fell to 4-4.
Georgia Southern scored the first six points of the contest, breaking perimeter pressure by the Hawks with three straight open layups. The Eagles took a 21-11 lead at the end of the first period thanks to hitting 7-of-13 shots from the floor (53.8 percent).
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter as the Eagles made just two field goals, yet were able to maintain a double-digit lead into halftime with a 29-18 advantage.
UMES would cut the lead to seven points, 40-33, late in the third quarter, but a late burst by Georgia Southern would push the lead back to double digits thanks to Jazmyne Jackson's three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter with a 47-35 lead. The Eagles then scored the first six points of the fourth to put the game out of reach.
Nakiyah Mays-Prince led all scorers on the day with 14 points, while Jackson ended the contest with 10 points to go with four steals.
Player of the Game
Mays-Prince hit 5-of-10 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 three-pointers, en route to her game-high 14 points. She added three rebounds and a steal as well in her third double-digit scoring performance of the year.
Stat of the Game
The Eagles forced a season-high 27 turnovers by the Hawks, recording 15 steals on the day. Nineteen of the 27 turnovers were forced in the first half.
Quotables
Head coach Hana Haden on the key to the up-and-down nature of the game against the Hawks
"Offensive execution. I think we saw some stretches where we did a really nice job in moving the ball, getting it in on multiple sides and taking what the defense was giving us. But we had times where we took shots that didn't make sense as far as time and score; we tried to force passes that weren't there. And we had stretches where we couldn't make a free throw. Culmination of things, but I think we put together between 20-25 minutes of solid offense where we were getting some solid ball movement but we've got to put it together for 40 minutes."
On the quick turnaround and matchup against host Rutgers on Saturday
"It's going to be a really tough matchup, a lot like you just saw on steroids as far as their effort on the offensive glass. They're big. UMES was really good on the offensive glass so we're going to have our hands full there just with their size and athleticism. It's going to be a really tough test for us."
Game 2: Third Quarter Leads Rutgers Past The Eagles, 77-60, On Saturday
Rutgers used a 19-0 run in the third quarter to overcome a halftime deficit and notch a 77-60 women's college basketball victory over visiting Georgia Southern in the Battle on the Banks tournament in Piscataway, N.J., on Saturday afternoon.
The Scarlet Knights improved to 5-3 on the year with the win, while the Eagles fell to 5-2 in its first matchup against a B1G opponent since facing Minnesota in 1991.
It was a tale of two halves as the Eagles used an Indya Green shot from the elbow to take an 18-17 lead as the first quarter expired.
Georgia Southern then closed out the second quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 40-36 lead into halftime. The Eagles had six players with multiple baskets and turned the ball over just four times before the break.
That all changed in the third quarter as the Eagles turned the ball over 11 times in the frame. The Eagles led 45-41 with 7:37 left in the third, but Rutgers embarked on its 19-0 run to finish the period with a 58-45 lead and then cruise to the win.
Indya Green led the Eagles on the day with 17 points , while Nakiyah Mays-Prince added 12 points and Nicole Gwynn notched 10. Rutgers had a pair of players record double-doubles on the day with Kiyomi McMiller going the entire 40 minutes, scoring 25 points with 11 rebounds and six assists. JoJo Lacey added 15 points and 11 rebounds also.
Player of the Game
Green matched her season-high by hitting 8-of-12 shots from the floor for 17 points. She added six rebounds and also notched a pair of assists.
Stat of the Game
The Eagles turned the ball over just two times in the first and second quarters, then just once in the fourth. The third quarter saw the Eagles with 11 turnovers, shooting just 2-of-7 from the field.
Quotables
Head coach Hana Haden on the difference between the first and second halves against Rutgers
"I thought we did a real nice job of executing and moving the ball in the first half. That was probably the best 20 minutes that we've executed offensively since Ohio. Looking at the third quarter, we were only able to score five points. With all those turnovers, we only got to shoot it seven times. That quarter hurt us."
On the takeaways from the Battle on the Banks going into Thursday's opener at The Hill
"We were most pleased with what we saw of our team trying to grow into that 40 minutes of execution. We had 30 minutes of execution today. I also thought we saw a lot of fight and togetherness with this group so again, we just want that to carry over into Jacksonville."
Next Up
Georgia Southern will open up the new Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center on Thursday, December 5, hosting Jacksonville University in a 6 p.m. contest. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the facility will take place a day earlier on Wednesday, December 4, at 3 p.m.