Georgia Southern women's basketball closed out its time in venerable Hanner Fieldhouse with a 68-64 win over visiting Longwood on Saturday in Statesboro.
The Eagles moved to 4-0 on the season with the win, the first 4-0 start for Georgia Southern women's basketball since the 1988-89 campaign. Longwood fell to 3-2 with the loss.
Georgia Southern jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the game's first three minutes, then led by a pair, 20-18, at the end of the first period. The Eagles were able to push that lead to double digits at the break by ending the first half on an 8-0 run for a 37-27 advantage at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Eagles push the lead to as many as 13, but Longwood crept back into the game thanks to a 16-4 run covering a six-minute stretch in the period. The Lancers led by one, 51-50, at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter saw four lead changes and three ties until a three-pointer by Jazmyne Jackson with 4:18 left brought the Eagles back in front, 60-58. With 51 seconds remaining and Georgia Southern leading by two, 63-61, Paris Gaines hit a three-point play that pushed the Eagle advantage to two possessions and enabled GS to claim the win.
Nicole Gwynn led a trio of Eagles in double figures on the day with a game-high 20 points. Gaines finished with 15 points, while Jackson chipped in 12 points in her first start as an Eagle. Indya Green had another big day on the glass with 14 rebounds.
Longwood was led by Francis Ulysse's 16 points and 13 points from Lili Booker
Player of the Game
Gwynn played a team-high 38 minutes and hit for 20 points that included two threes and a 10-for-14 performance from the free throw line. She added six assists, five rebounds and a steal in the victory.
Stat of the Game
The win closes out Hanner Fieldhouse as the home facility for Georgia Southern women's basketball as the Eagles will move into the newly-constructed Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center beginning with the December 5 game against JU. With today's win, Georgia Southern is 388-245 all-time in the building for a solid .613 winning percentage.
Quotables
Head coach Hana Haden on the fourth quarter effort to close out the win
"It came down to us making some timely plays in the fourth quarter. We would have liked to extend the lead we had in the third, but turnovers got Longwood back into the game. I'm proud of how we pulled together as a team in the fourth to close out the win, and I think that overall it was good experience for our group to respond the way they did."
Next Up
Georgia Southern hits the road for back-to-back weekends, beginning with a Noon matchup at George Washington on Saturday, November 23, in Washington, D.C.
