STATESBORO, Ga. (Interstat) — Georgia Southern used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Louisiana-Monroe for a 67-54 women’s basketball victory Saturday at Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles, improving to 20-6, trailed 34-29 at halftime but outscored the Warhawks 25-10 in the third period. Kishyah Anderson led Georgia Southern with 19 points and seven rebounds. Destiny Garrett scored a game-high 22 points. Marcavia Shavers posted 11 points and 15 rebounds for Louisiana-Monroe (12-14), which led by as many as nine points in the first half. J’Mani Ingram added 15 points for the Warhawks. A crowd of 1,203 watched the Sun Belt Conference game. Georgia Southern next visits Appalachian State on Wednesday. Louisiana-Monroe hosts Texas State that same night.

STATESBORO, Ga. (Interstat) — A dominant third-quarter surge propelled the Georgia Southern Eagles to a 67-54 victory over the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks in a Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles, improving to 20-6 overall, trailed 34-29 at halftime but seized control after the break with a 25-point third quarter. They outscored the Warhawks by 15 in the period, turning a five-point deficit into a commanding 54-44 lead heading into the final quarter. The defensive intensity fueled the run, as Georgia Southern forced eight Louisiana-Monroe turnovers in the quarter, converting them into 11 points. Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern’s top scorer, spearheaded the decisive run and finished with a game-high 19 points, adding seven rebounds and three assists. Her backcourt partner, the 5-foot-4 sophomore Destiny Garrett from Bessemer, Alabama, led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and contributed five rebounds. The Warhawks (12-14) were plagued by offensive struggles throughout, shooting just 35% from the field and a frigid 1 for 11 from beyond the arc. They managed only three assists against 14 turnovers, which the Eagles converted into 18 points. Louisiana-Monroe’s effort was anchored by a formidable performance from 6-foot-2 senior Marcavia Shavers of Biloxi, Mississippi, who recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. J’Mani Ingram, a 5-7 guard from North Augusta, South Carolina, led the Warhawks with 15 points. Georgia Southern’s defensive pressure was a constant theme, matching its season-high with 10 steals, led by Anderson and Garrett with three apiece. The Eagles also shared the ball effectively, tallying 10 assists on 26 made field goals. The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Louisiana-Monroe built an early lead, ending the first quarter up 15-11 behind strong interior play. The Warhawks extended their advantage to as many as eight points in the second quarter before Georgia Southern closed the gap. A late layup by Asjah Inniss sent ULM into the locker room with a five-point cushion. Any momentum for the visitors evaporated in the third quarter. Georgia Southern opened the period on a 14-4 run, taking its first lead since the opening minutes on a pair of Anderson free throws. The Eagles’ defense tightened, creating transition opportunities, and their offense found a rhythm from the perimeter. The lead ballooned to 13 points late in the quarter after a McKenna Eddings 3-pointer, and Louisiana-Monroe never threatened again, scoring only 10 points in each of the final two quarters. Eddings, a 6-foot sophomore from Williamsburg, Virginia, provided valuable all-around play for the Eagles with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and a block in 38 minutes. The announced attendance was 1,203. Georgia Southern, which entered the game as a heavy favorite according to advanced metrics, validated that projection with its second-half performance. The Eagles will look to carry this momentum into a road trip, visiting Appalachian State on Wednesday. Louisiana-Monroe returns home to host Texas State on Wednesday, seeking to halt a two-game skid.

Preview: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at Georgia Southern Eagles STATESBORO, Ga. (Interstat) — A surging Georgia Southern squad will look to protect its home court against a Louisiana-Monroe team coming off a heartbreaker when the Sun Belt women’s basketball foes meet Saturday at Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles (19-6) have won five of their last six games, including a dominant 76-55 victory over Marshall on Thursday. They are anchored by standout forward Kishyah Anderson, who is averaging 21.2 points over her last five contests. Anderson posted a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double in a win over Coastal Carolina on Feb. 14 and a 21-point, 11-rebound, six-block performance against Arkansas State on Feb. 11. Georgia Southern’s defense has been key, holding opponents to 60 points or fewer in four of its last five wins. The visiting Warhawks (12-13) aim to bounce back from a narrow 82-80 road loss at Troy on Feb. 14, a game in which they led late. Their offense runs through dynamic guard Nakiyah Mays-Prince, who recorded a career-high 27 points and 11 assists in that defeat. Mays-Prince has been a consistent force, scoring in double figures in six of her last eight games and facilitating for teammates like Marcavia Shavers (17 points vs. Troy) and Jazmine Jackson (15 points vs. Troy). Louisiana-Monroe has shown it can score, averaging 78.2 points over its last five outings, but its defense will be tested by an efficient Georgia Southern attack. The Eagles won the season’s first meeting 77-60 in Monroe on Jan. 3, a game where Anderson scored 22 points. Georgia Southern has won four straight in the series. Saturday’s tipoff is set for 2 p.m. EST. Following this contest, Georgia Southern travels to face Appalachian State on Wednesday, while Louisiana-Monroe hosts Texas State.