For the first time since the 2019 season, the Georgia Southern Eagles played in front of a packed Hanner Fieldhouse.

Brian Burg’s team did not disappoint, as the Eagles clawed their way to an 82-71 victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Tuesday night.

“They did not fracture during times of adversity, we stuck together,” said Burg. “I though that was great for our guys to stay together for the entire 40 minutes.”

The Eagles were without Elijah McCadden, who led the returners in scoring last season, and key contributor Mackenzie McFatten, who was one of two players to play in every game last season.

However, the GS offense did not miss a beat without the two key contributors. Six Eagle players reached double digits and another scored nine points.

“Ball was shared, ball moved, shot a great percentage. That’s the formula we want,” said Burg. “Definitely areas that we have to clean up defensively, so that we can end up having our identity on the defensive end.”

Senior Gedi Juozapaitis led the way offensively for the Eagles, racking up 15 points with three long-distance buckets. Another senior, Kaden Archie, had perhaps the most impressive all around game for GS, as he recorded nine points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.

“We’ve been here since June, so we’ve been here a long time going through summer workouts, training camps and things like that,” said Archie. “It’s just nice to be on the floor for the fans and just show everybody what we’ve been working on.”

The Eagles will have a four-day break before their next game, which is November 13th matchup at South Florida. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.