STATESBORO, GA. – Tai Strickland made and off-balance one-hander in the paint with 1.8 seconds to play to lift Georgia Southern over Campbell 54-53 Saturday at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles (7-5) got an offensive rebound with 5.7 seconds to go, then converted on a baseline out of bounds situation. The Camels (5-6) were unable to get off a shot on the following possession.
Tyren Moore came off the bench to lead Georgia Southern with 13 points and made a trio of threes in the second half. Jalen Finch scored 12 points and had four steals for the Eagles, who shot 40 percent on the game, but made 6-of-14 threes in the second period. Carlos Curry finished with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Playing in front of a large contingent of family and friends in his home state,
Joshua Lusane led the Camels with 16 points, plus five rebounds and five assists.
Anthony Dell'Orso added 14 points, while
Gediminas Mokseckas chipped in a season-high eight points.
Jay Pal pulled down seven rebounds.
The Camels took their largest lead (37-30) on Lusane's 3-point play with 10:36 left that capped a 9-0 run. However, Finch made a three on the next possesion, then Moore hit back-to-back threes to tie the score at 39 with 8:27 to go.
In a game that included seven lead changes and eight ties, the Camels battled the taller Eagles to a 31-31 stalemate on the glass and finished with a 16-10 edge in second-chance points. Campbell shot 43 percent on the day, made 5-of-20 beyond the arc.
Campbell broke Georgia Southern's press and scored underneath with 50 seconds left for a 53-50 lead. However, Finch hit two free throws at the other end to cut the gap to 53-52 with 40 seconds to go. Clemons drove to the basket on the next possession, but his contested shot did not go in. Finch then pulled down the rebound to set up the final sequence.
Nate Brafford's put back gave Georgia Southern its largest lead (20-13) with 3:56 left in the opening half, but the Camels clawed back to cut the deficit to 22-20 at the break.
Campbell wraps up its non-conference schedule Wednesday (Dec. 21) with a 2:00 p.m. tip at home vs. UNC Wilmington.
