Georgia Southern used a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to topple Appalachian State, 84-73, on Saturday afternoon and give Georgia Southern head women’s basketball coach Anita Howard her 200th collegiate head coaching victory.
The Eagles improved to 16-7 overall and 8-6 in the Sun Belt with the win, while App State fell to 9-16 overall and 5-9 in the Sun Belt. Howard’s victory puts her career coaching record at 200-105, a .656 winning percentage.
Georgia Southern led by three at the end of the first period, 18-15, and stretched that lead to six, 37-31, at halftime. The Eagles pushed their lead to 10 on two occasions in the third quarter, but App State fought back to make it a six-point game, 59-53, going into the pivotal fourth quarter.
With the Eagles leading by four early in the fourth, Terren Ward’s three-point play with 8:39 left to go in the game sparked the 13-0 run that ended with a pair of Simone James free throws to make the score 74-57 with 4:08 left. App State would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Georgia Southern had three players register double-doubles on the day, led by Terren Ward’s 19 points and 10 boards. Taya Gibson had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Eden Johnson had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Simone James finished with 15 points as well. App State was led by Faith Alston’s 21 points.
Eagle of the Game
Ward notched her eighth double-double of the season with her 19 points and 10 rebounds, but also added five assists, a career-high four blocked shots and a pair of steals.
Stat of the Game
Georgia Southern shot 67 percent in the fourth quarter (8-of-12) and also knocked down 9-of-13 threes en route to 25 points in the frame.
Quotables
Head Coach Anita Howard on breaking App State’s pressure in the 13-0 4th quarter run
“We knew they were gonna do kindof a 2-1-2 trap in the half court. We just had to settle down. Once we did that, and got past the initial pressure, we saw easy offense out of it, with open layups to Eden and Taya.”
On looking forward to the final two home games next week
“We need to take care of Hanner. We’ve beaten Marshall and Coastal Carolina on the road, but they were close games. Everyone’s playing better basketball in February. So we need to keep cutting down on our turnovers and continue to play together as a team.”
