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Georgia Southern senior Kishyah Anderson (24) elevates for a jump shot over ULM defender #11 during Saturday’s Senior Day matchup at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center. The Eagles battled the Warhawks in their final regular-season home game.
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The Georgia Southern bench erupts in pure hype during Saturday’s matchup against ULM. The Eagles brought relentless energy from the sidelines all afternoon. Pictured leading the celebration are Liv Fuller (12), senior McKenna Eddings (33), and Kayla Cleaveland (41) cheering on their teammates on the floor.
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The Georgia Southern bench is all smiles, throwing up three-point signs to celebrate a big shot during Saturday’s Senior Day matchup. Keeping the energy high from the sidelines are Destini Ward (22), Laney Scoggins (21), Liv Fuller (12), Armani Cooke (15), and McKayla Hosley (23).
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Georgia Southern graduate guard Destiny Garrett (0) aggressively drives the ball down the court, pushing past ULM defender #9 in transition during Saturday’s Senior Day matchup. Garrett—who was one of the four Eagles honored during the pregame ceremonies—kept the offensive pressure dialed up all afternoon.
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Georgia Southern seniors Kishyah Anderson (24) and Destiny Garrett (0) share a hyped-up moment on the court during Saturday’s Senior Day victory over ULM. Anderson flexes to celebrate a hard-fought play by Garrett, perfectly capturing the team’s fierce energy and tight-knit bond in their final home game.
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Georgia Southern players, including Laney Scoggins (21), McKayla Hosley (23), Kayla Cleaveland (41), and Liv Fuller (12), head into the stands to high-five and thank the band following Saturday’s Senior Day victory. The Eagles made sure to show their appreciation for the relentless energy and support they’ve received at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center all season.
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Georgia Southern fifth-year senior McKenna Eddings (30) shares a joyful, emotional moment on the court with head coach Hana Haden during Saturday’s Senior Day celebration. Eddings was one of four seniors honored by the program before the Eagles tipped off against ULM.
STATESBORO, GA — The Georgia Southern women’s basketball team refused to let their senior class walk off their home court for the last time with a loss.
Despite staring down a frustrating halftime deficit on Feb. 21, the Eagles caught fire in the second half to secure a 67-54 victory over ULM at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center. The emotional win was a historic one, tying a program record of 14 home victories in a single season that has stood since 1987.
Before tip-off, the program honored seniors Kishyah Anderson, Destiny Garrett, Shanti Simmons, and McKenna Eddings. The weight of the moment wasn’t lost on the players.
“Honestly, it means a lot playing at home… my last home game forever,” Anderson reflected after the final buzzer. “It was a lot of emotions.”
A Bond Beyond Basketball
The post-game press conference revealed just how deep the connection runs between Head Coach Hana Haden and her departing seniors. Haden coached Eddings, Garrett, and Simmons at her previous stop at Georgia Southwestern (GSW) before they helped her build a winning culture in Statesboro.
“McKenna is my first player that I have coached for four years… it’s kind of hard to imagine coaching without her,” an emotional Haden shared. “Destiny Garrett and Shanti Simmons… what we accomplished together at GSW, and then to come over here and accomplish what we’ve done here, it’s really, really special. Without those three, I wouldn’t even be sitting in this position.”
Haden also praised Anderson, a highly sought-after transfer who bought into Georgia Southern’s vision and “allowed us to coach her really hard.” Haden highlighted Anderson’s humility, noting the star player even offered to give up her jersey number 24 to an incoming freshman earlier in the year.
Flipping the Script
Early on, it looked like ULM might play spoiler to the celebration. The Warhawks frustrated the Eagles with a suffocating defensive scheme, taking a 34-29 lead into the locker room. Entering Saturday, Georgia Southern was 0-6 this season when trailing at the break.
Haden praised her team for staying together when they couldn’t find a rhythm. “I was really impressed with our togetherness through that first 25 minutes,” she noted.
The turning point arrived in the third quarter. Georgia Southern abandoned their first-half hesitation and dropped 25 points in the frame, sparked by a devastating 10-0 run.
“I think [we showed] a little bit more composure offensively,” Haden explained. “They do a really good job switching their defenses, and I felt like we kind of spent too much time trying to figure out what they were… rather than just executing offense. And then obviously the press. I think that really got us going. We got some turnovers, and we were able to get out in transition. So that was huge for us.”
Senior Leadership Delivers
When the team needed a spark to mount the comeback, the seniors they were celebrating delivered the firepower:
* Destiny Garrett: Refused to come off the floor, playing all 40 minutes. She poured in a game-high 22 points, drilling three 3-pointers while racking up five rebounds and three steals.
* Kishyah Anderson: The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week was a model of efficiency once again. She tallied 19 points, marking her fourth consecutive game shooting 50% or better from the field.
Gearing Up for the Postseason
With their home slate perfectly wrapped up at 14-2 and the community support continuing to swell, the Eagles (21-6 overall) now hit the road for their final two regular-season games, beginning with Appalachian State on Feb. 25.
When asked about the ceiling for “Team 52,” Coach Haden didn’t hesitate. “I don’t think there is one,” she said. “This is a really special group… with the leadership that we have in this group, and just the buy-in of every single person in our program, I think that we still have a lot of basketball ahead.”
That playoff mentality is already echoing through the locker room.
“Mentality? I just know we got to be the hammer,” Anderson said. “That’s what coaching has been throwing into our minds since the season started. We need to come in every game, knowing that we need to do what we can do to get the win.”
Reflecting on the record-tying 21-win campaign, Anderson’s gratitude toward the rest of the roster was obvious. “I love them for making the best season ever, the best season of my career.”
