Originally created 02/27/05

Georgia Southern wins in a shootout



STATESBORO, Ga. - Elton Nesbitt scored 31 points and Donte Gennie added a career-high 21 to help Georgia Southern snap a three-game losing streak with a 97-91 victory over East Tennessee State on Saturday.

The victory clinched at least a tie for second place in the Southern Conference's South Division heading into the league tournament.

The game turned into an offensive shootout between Nesbitt, the second-leading scorer in the Southern Conference, and ETSU's Tim Smith, the conference's leading scorer who finished with 41 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

The Eagles (17-12, 10-6 Southern Conference) extended their homecourt winning streak to 11 games.

ETSU (9-18, 4-12) also got a strong performance from Dillion Sneed, who had 10 points and 22 rebounds, giving the Buccaneers a 52-42 edge on the boards.

Terry Williams added 14 points for the Eagles, while James Anthony had 16 and Ben Rhoda 11 for ETSU.