Georgia Southern won the tip-off against Georgia State, the offense had a good possession, and sophomore guard Alexis Brown drained a three-pointer. Everything pointed to it looking like a great afternoon.
Then the Panthers scored. Then the Panthers rebounded. Then the Panthers scored. Then the Panthers rebounded.
A game that was fairly competitive in the first quarter turned ugly quickly behind the home team’s sharp shooting and forward Francesca Minali’s 11 first half rebounds.
The Eagles had several opportunities on offense in the first quarter they were unable to capitalize on.
Brown hit another three pointer to make it a 6-4 game early, but then the Eagles started fouling.