To say Georgia Southern’s Lady Eagles are struggling is putting it mildly.
    The Lady Eagles have lost six games in a row, and are trying to avoid their first 20-game losing streak under head coach Rusty Cram as they face Elon at 5 p.m. today at Hanner Fieldhouse in a Southern Conference matchup.
    Elon (12-13, 8-8) beat the Lady Eagles (7-18, 3-13) earlier this season on a last-second shot, but the Phoenix have lost their last two games under first-year head coach Charlotte Smith.
    Facts and Figures: Elon’s Ali Ford leads the SoCon in 3-pointers with 78, and she has 254 for her career, second on the conference’s all-time list. Teammate Kelsey Evans is one of only two players, Appalachian State’s Courtney Freeman being the other, to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding.
    Notable: Smith is a household name in women’s basketball in North Carolina. The niece of N.C. State great David Thompson, she played at North Carolina and was national player of the year in 1995. Her 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Tar Heels the NCAA title in 1994 with a 60-59 win over Louisiana Tech. She was an assistant at UNC for nine years before being hired at Elon.
    Players to Watch: GSU — 5-10 G Meredyth Frye, 9.6 ppg., 4.8 rpg; 5-9 G MiMi DuBose, 8.9 ppg.; 5-8 G Janay Wilson 6.2 ppg., 4.4 rpg. Elon — 5-3 G Ali Ford 15.4 ppg., 2.3 rpg.; 6-2 F Kelsey Evans 11.6 ppg., 7.4 rpg.;  5-11 G Kelsey Harris 6.5 ppg., 4.6 rpg.
    The Series: Georgia Southern leads, 11-7.
    The Coaches:  GSU — Rusty Cram 238-226, 16th season; Elon — Charlotte Smith 12-13, first season.