PENSACOLA, FLA. – Georgia Southern & Coastal Carolina won their opening-round games on Tuesday at the Pensacola Bay Center to advance to the second round of the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship. 
 
Georgia Southern topped Texas State, 72-70, while Coastal Carolina pulled ahead over South Alabama, 79-60. 
 
The second round of the Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship will take place Wednesday with four games beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT. All four games will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
 
Game 1: (12) Georgia Southern 72, (13) Texas State 70 [Box Score]
 
Senior Terren Ward’s bucket with 3.6 seconds remaining sent No. 12 seed Georgia Southern women's basketball past No. 13 seed Texas State, 72-70, in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament first round on Tuesday at the Pensacola Bay Center.
 
Georgia Southern (15-17) now advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face No. 5 seed ULM at 2 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Texas State finishes its season at 14-18.
 
The Eagles shot 60 percent in the first quarter in building a 24-17 lead at the end of the period, then stretched that lead 11 points, 40-29, at the break. That lead would grow to 16 points, 49-33, with 6:19 left in the third quarter.
 
Texas State cut the deficit to nine points at the end of the third quarter, then eventually came all the way back to tie the game at 68-all on  a three-pointers from Crystal Smith with 1:53 left.
On the next possession, the Eagles' Ja’nya Love-Hill  converted a layup after an offensive rebound and an assist from Kayla Thomas with 38.8 seconds left. 
 
Texas State tied the game at 70 on a bucket by Morgan Hill with 21.3 seconds remaining, setting up Ward's go-ahead bucket. Texas State had one last chance to tie or win, but Diamond Stokes stole the inbounds pass to preserve the victory and send the Eagles into the quarterfinals.
 
Ward finished with a game-high 24 points, while Thomas added 15 points and Love-Hill chipped in 11. Julia Coleman's 18 points led Texas State on the day.
 
Game 2: (11) Coastal Carolina 79, (14) South Alabama 60 [Box Score]
 
Arin Freeman scored a season-high 26 points and Makaila Cange and Alancia Ramsey each recorded double-doubles as No. 11 seed Coastal Carolina led wire-to-wire in a 79-60 win over No. 14 seed South Alabama in the first round of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday afternoon at the Pensacola Bay Center.

With the victory, the Chanticleers advance to face No. 6 Southern Miss in the second round on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. The win was also head coach Kevin Pederson's 470th career victory. 

Coastal held South Alabama scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and jumped to a 7-2 lead. After the Jaguars pulled within five with 2:47 left in the first quarter, Deaja Richardson buried a three and Cange followed with a layup to give the Chants a 19-9 lead at the 2:03 mark. South Alabama scored the final four points of the quarter to make the score 19-13 entering the second period. 

USA trimmed the deficit to five again in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but Richardson and Anaya Barney knocked down threes that sandwiched a Riley Stack jumper for an 8-0 run to put Coastal up 31-18 with 5:34 left in the first half. The Chants' lead would never go to single digits the rest of the game as Coastal led 44-32 at intermission. 

CCU scored six of the first eight points in the third quarter as Freeman knocked down a jumper to give Coastal a 50-34 lead with 6:49 left in the period. The Chants held South Alabama to just four made field goals in the quarter and built a 61-46 lead entering the final 10 minutes of play. 

Cange took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of the Chanticleers' first 14 points and knocking down a three-pointer with 2:55 to go that put Coastal up 75-56. Ramsey capped the scoring with a pair of free throws, sending the Chants to the second round with a 79-60 victory. 

Coastal dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Jaugars 46-28 and pulling down 17 offensive boards. CCU also turned 14 South Alabama turnovers into 19 points. 

Freeman hit nine of her 18 field-goal attempts and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Cange finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Ramsey posted 17 points and a game-high 12 boards. Stack finished with five blocks and a career-high six assists. 
 
2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship
 
Tuesday, March 5
Game 1 – (12) Georgia Southern 72, (13) Texas State 70
Game 2 – (11) Coastal Carolina 79, (14) South Alabama 60
 
Wednesday, March 6
Game 3 – (8) Georgia State vs. (9) App State– 11:30 a.m. CT
Game 4 – (5) ULM vs. (12) Georgia Southern – 2:00 p.m. CT
Game 5 – (6) Southern Miss vs. (11) Coastal Carolina – 5:00 p.m. CT
Game 6 – (7) Louisiana vs. (10) Arkansas State – 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Friday, March 8
Game 7 – (1) Marshall vs. Winner Game 3  – 11:30 a.m. CT
Game 8 – (4) Old Dominion vs. Winner Game 4 – 2:00 p.m. CT
Game 9 – (3) James Madison vs. Winner Game 5 – 5:00 p.m. CT
Game 10 – (2) Troy vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Sunday, March 10
Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 11:30 a.m. CT
Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 – 2:00 p.m. CT
 
Monday, March 11
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 1:00 p.m. CT