CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Elton Nesbitt scored 14 points to lead Georgia Southern to a 69-57 victory over Western Carolina on Wednesday in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament.
Georgia Southern (18-12) will play UNC-Greensboro in the quarterfinals Thursday.
Rans Brempong led Western Carolina (8-22) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Golden Eagles led by as much as 53-34 in the second half, and the Catamounts never came closer than 35-26, when Antonio Russell opened the half with a 3-pointer.
Georgia Southern went on a 13-4 run to pull away from a tie game midway through the first half, and took a 35-23 lead into halftime.
It was the Golden Eagles' first win this season when they scored less than 70 points.
Jean Francois scored 13 points for Georgia Southern, and Louis Graham added 10.
Trey Hopkins added 11 points, with eight coming on free throws.
