Eagles Fall to Mercer 77-56 on Field Trip Day
STATESBORO – Freshman guard Nakol Franks had a record-setting day Tuesday afternoon with eight made three-pointers, but it was not enough as the Georgia Southern women’s basketball team fell 77-56 to in-state rival Mercer in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Franks, making first career start, tied the school record with eight three-pointers, seven in the first half, and netted 26 points to lead Georgia Southern (2-5). Senior Patrice Butler tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, with all 13 points coming in the fourth quarter.
Kahlia Lawrence scored 17 points and Mercer (6-1) recorded 19 steals to swipe the victory. Sydni Means collected 14 points, seven assists, seven steals and four rebounds for Mercer, which won its fifth straight contest. Linnea Rosendal chipped in 12 points and three assists, and KeKe Calloway tallied 11 points and six rebounds.
Mercer’s halfcourt zone defense forced 26 Eagle turnovers, which the Bears turned into 34 points. Both teams played mostly zone and shot well from three-point range, with GS hitting 11 treys and Mercer knocking down nine.
The Eagles were without second-leading scorer Angel McGowan, who missed the game with an injury. It was Georgia Southern’s annual Field Trip Day, and 700 elementary and middle school children packed Hanner and provided a loud and boisterous atmosphere for the contest.
THE STORY
Georgia Southern turned the ball over 16 times in the first half, which led to 20 Mercer points, and the Bears built a 25-6 lead early in the second quarter. Franks scored Georgia Southern’s first 15 points of the game, all on three-pointers, and netted 21 of the Eagles’ 25 in the first half.
A 13-4 run, consisting of three of Franks’ triples and a couple of buckets by Trellanie English-Lurry, trimmed the margin to 38-25 at halftime. Mercer stepped it up in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles 19-4 to open an insurmountable 28-point cushion at the end of the period.
GS cut the margin in half midway through the fourth with a 16-2 run, sparked by an Alexis Sams three-pointer, but that was as close as the Eagles would get. Lawrence hit a pair of jumpers in an 8-2 Mercer spurt that pushed the lead back to 20 points.
ULM Falls to Louisiana Tech Tuesday Night
Monroe, La. - The ULM women’s basketball team only trailed by nine half Tuesday night, but visiting Louisiana Tech was able to extend the lead throughout the second half on the way to handing the Warhawks a 72-52 defeat inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
TURNING POINT
After a battle for the lead with five tied scores and four lead changes in the first quarter alone, Louisiana Tech put up an eight-point run after holding only a one-point lead over the Warhawks. The Lady Techsters only extended their lead after that as the game went on. Louisiana Tech put up 26 points in the third quarter with a field goal percentage of 56 percent (10-18) compared to the Warhawks 12 points in the frame.
NOTEABLES
-There were two Warhawks with double digit points, led by Adreanna Jackson's team-high 17 points off the bench. Jackson finished the night shooting 5-for-9 from the floor, including three three-point baskets. Alexis Collins added 10 points as the other ULM player in double figures, also finishing the night shooting 5-for-9 from the floor.
-Louisiana Tech's pressure defense forced ULM into 22 total turnovers that the Lady Techsters turned into 17 points.
-Led by Jackson, ULM finished the night with 25 points from its bench, while Louisiana Tech had 19 points off its bench production.
-ULM shot 92.9 percent (13-for-14) from the free throw stripe on the night. The last time that ULM shot over 90 percent on free throws was against Georgia Southern at the end of last season (March 3, 2016) when they finished the game at 93.8 percent (15-for-19).
-The Warhawks were held scoreless over the final 3:35 of the game as Louisiana Tech was able to close the night out. The Warhawks did go to the stripe four times over that final stretch, missing their only free throw on their final attempt of the night,
-Louisiana Tech finished with a slight edge in rebounds (31-28), and but outscored the Warhawks in points in the paint (36-18), second chance points (11-7) and points off turnovers (17-8).