Feb. 9, 2004

Final Stats

Statesboro, Ga. - With the game tied at 65 with 45 seconds to play, Georgia Southern's Chad Fleming hit one of two free throws and Frank Bennett drained a pair at the charity stripe with 19 seconds left to lift Southern Conference South leader Georgia Southern (18-4, 9-2 SoCon) to a 68-65 decision over Western Carolina (11-11, 4-7) Monday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Cats led by 14 at halftime (38-24) but let that lead slip away when Bennett hit a jumper with 10:45 left in the second half. Fleming followed with a 3-pointer giving the Eagles a 50-47 lead with 10:11 left. However, with 3:06 left, Kevin Martin found an open Corey Muirhead, who hit a 3-pointer cutting the Catamount deficit to one (62-61). A Bennett turnover would lead to a Martin layup giving the Cats a 63-62 lead with 2:21 left. Western would go on to take a three-point lead (6-62) with 1:40 left on a David Berghoefer layup.

No team would score over the next minute until Fleming made the backend of a two-shot free throw, tying the game at 65. Western had two chances to re-take the lead, but a missed field goal and two missed free throws forced WCU to foul Bennett with 19 seconds left. After Bennett's free throws, Martin and Emre Atsur each had tries to tie the game, but came up short allowing the Eagles to escape with the win.

In the first, Western's defense was impressive, taking Georgia Southern out of its comfort zone. The game got off to a slow start with no team scoring until Berghoefer broke the ice with a jumper with 16:47 remaining in the first half. Western would not relinquish its lead in the first half, pushing its advantage to as many as 18 with 2:31 left before the break. Georgia Southern did make a small run at the Cats, getting the score to 15-13 at the 10:25 mark. However, a 21-6 run by Western, including nine point by Berghoefer, gave the Cats' their 18 point lead. The Eagles closed the half with a 6-2 run and, while down 14 at the break, would use that momentum to make their run to start the second half.

Martin, the NCAA's leading scorer (27.2 ppg), padded his lead national lead by scoring a game-high 34 points. While he was only 7-of-21 from the field, he sank 18-of-19 free throws in scoring 30-plus for the 18th time in his career and the eighth time this season. The junior added eight rebounds and three assists. Berghoefer came through with his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Muirhead tied a career-high with 10 rebounds as WCU out-rebounded the Eagles 40-36.

The Eagles, who only shot 29.6 percent in the first half, made 50 percent of their shots in the second half and forced 15 WCU turnovers in the period. Elton Nesbitt led Georgia Southern with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Bennett came off the bench to score 16 points, while Fleming and Terry Williams added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Western Carolina will return to action Friday (Feb. 13) at Appalachian State. The game is set to begin at 7:30 pm at the Holmes Center and will be telecast on Fox Sports South Net.