STATESBORO — Georgia Southern’s women never stopped fighting Wednesday night at Hanner Fieldhouse, but their shots stopped falling.
Eagles first-year coach Chris Vozab was proud of the first part despite a 56-42 loss to Furman.
Georgia Southern’s hustle made it a close game for 34 minutes. But the Eagles (2-12, 1-4 Southern Conference) went the final 10:49 with just one field goal. They shot 16 of 62 overall (25.8 percent) and only 6 of 34 in the second half (17.6 percent).
Furman (5-8, 1-3) pulled away with a 10-0 run in the last 5:58.
“When we weren’t completing the plays, we got a little frantic,” said Vozab, who replaced longtime coach Rusty Cram after the Eagles struggled through an 8-22 campaign last season.
GSU’s improvement isn’t reflected in the team’s record this season, said junior guard MiMi DuBose.
“We are so much better than this time last year,” said DuBose, who finished with a team-high 11 points. “All of us are taking to this coaching staff.”
DuBose likes Vozab’s up-tempo attack, which differs from Cram’s X’s and O’s methodical approach.
The team seemed to be responding. The Eagles fought back from a 19-point deficit on the road against the College of Charleston only to lose 58-56 last Saturday.
On Monday, Georgia Southern held on to defeat Western Carolina 58-56 and snapped a nine-game losing streak.
Southern showed flashes of good play Wednesday. A 14-4 run late in the first half built a 26-22 advantage.
DuBose had eight points in the spurt — four after hitting a 3-pointer and converting a free throw for a four-point play.
Furman ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 28-26 lead. The Eagles stayed close but couldn’t make enough plays during the final 11 minutes.
“We haven’t been tentative, but today I think we were just pushing too much to make the play,” Vozab said.
In a key sequence, Furman’s 5-foot-4 point guard Erica Norwood ran down Kiki Rawls, who was ahead of the field, and blocked her layup attempt.
After another GSU missed shot, Norwood came out of the pack with the loose ball and led a fast break that ended with Teisha Griswold’s 3-pointer to extend Furman’s lead back to six, 44-38.
Despite the offensive struggles, GSU trailed only 46-42 with 3:37 left but Furman ended with a run.
Kaitlin Murphy led the Paladins with 15 points.
GSU freshman Sierra Kirkland from Statesboro had a career-high 10 points.
“It was disappointing to lose a conference game at home, but I think we’re showing improvement,” DuBose said. “Every conference game is big, but basketball is a tournament game and it matters the most how you play on that one weekend.”
DuBose, of course, is talking about the Southern Conference Tournament, where the winner gets an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Vozab sees a bigger picture developing.
“We’re trying to turn our team into a program,” she said.
Ellis returns to area
Former Calvary Day School star Kelsey Ellis returned to the area as a guard with Furman. She was scoreless in four minutes of play.
The freshman has averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds with a career-high four points against Mercer on Nov. 24.
Her family, friends and former Calvary teammates made up a significant portion of the announced crowd of 379.
“I’m playing (shooting guard) instead of (forward), so the speed of the game and the defense is so different,” Ellis said. “I have to get faster.”
FURMAN (5-8, 1-3 SoCon)
Hodges 4-12 5-6 13, Murphy 5-10 4-7 15, Wilkins 3-4 0-2 6, Morrissey 3-5 0-0 6, Griswold 3-13 0-0 7, Norwood 0-4 2-2 2, Roberts 0-0 0-0 0, Durdaller 2-4 1-2 5, Ellis 0-0 0-0 0, Bryan 0-2 0-0 0, Butler 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 21-55 12-19 56.
GSU (2-12, 1-4 SoCon)
Wofford 0-2 0-0 0, Sams 0-5 0-0 0, Knight 3-15 0-0 6, Frye 1-10 3-4 5, DuBose 4-16 2-3 11, Cook 0-0 0-0 0, Rawls 0-4 2-4 2, Spencer 3-3 2-2 8, Kirkland 5-7 0-1 10. Totals 16-62 9-14 42.
Halftime—Furman, 28-26. 3-point goals—Furman 2-10 (Murphy 1-2, Wilkins 0-1, Morrissey 0-1, Griswold 1-4, Norwood 0-2), GSU 1-13 (Sams 0-4, Knight 0-3, DuBose 1-6). Rebounds—Furman 43 (Hodges 11), GSU 42 (Knight 8). Assists—Furman 14 (Norwood 4), GSU 6 (Frye 2). Total fouls—Furman 14, GSU 13. Fouled Out—None. Technicals—None. A—379.