NORFOLK, Va.– Leading by as much as 16, Georgia Southern men's basketball saw Old Dominion cut the lead to one. Still, timely free throws and rebounds pushed the visitors to their second road win of the season and first win over Old Dominion since 1978.
"I would have liked for that one to not get as close as it did, but I thought our starters played well," head coach Charlie Henry said. "You've got to be able to go to the bench and extend the lead, and they made their run when we first went to the bench. We'll learn from it, it's great to walk out of here with a win."
The Eagles (5-16, 5-4 Sun Belt) held the Monarchs (5-16, 1-8) to a season-low 22 points in the first half and staved off a late comeback attempt to improve to 5-4 in Sun Belt play.
Both teams gained little separation early on. Nate Brafford hit a three to make it a 10-9 game, and from that point forward, the Eagles never trailed.
Tyren Moore hit a three to extend the lead to seven, and the Eagles played suffocating defense from then on. Malik Tidwell's three-ball gave GS a nine-point lead heading into the locker room.
The Monarchs recorded just six field goals in the first half and 22 points, a low for opponents in the first half this season.
Georgia Southern pushed its lead to 16 three separate times in the second half, the last of which coming on a Collin Kuhl layup at 13:08.
ODU began its onslaught following this, trimming the deficit to six at the under-eight media timeout. Cam Bryant's three-pointer with four minutes left had it at a seven-point game at the next timeout.
Another 11-3 run for the home team made it 69-68 with 32 seconds left. Needing to foul, they collared Eren Banks who went 1-2 from the line.
Brafford, who was 14-16 from the line coming in, went 10-10 during the game - including a perfect 6-6 in the final 49 seconds. He iced the game with his last two, and another two by Moore gave the Eagles a 76-70 lead, which held as the final score.
Brafford scored a career-best 13 aided by those ten free throws, a clutch performance in front of a hostile crowd.
"You just have to trust the work you put in at practice at the free-throw line," Brafford said. "We all had to come together as a team, and we finished strong and came out with the win."
Moore led the Eagles with 21, his sixth 20-point effort of the season. Several Eagles came close to double-doubles, as Banks (12 pts., 8 reb.) Avantae Parker (10 pts., 8 reb.) and Bryant (8 pts., 9 reb.,) were within striking range.
GS shot 37.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three and 85.7 percent from the line. Their 44 rebounds tied a season high.
The Eagles snapped a six-game losing streak against Old Dominion, earning the program's first victory over the Monarchs since 1978 and first in Norfolk since 1971.
GS has five days to enjoy this one before a home matchup with Troy on Thursday.
