ATLANTA (Nov. 11) – In a game with 13 lead changes and seven ties, Charleston edged Georgia State, 72-66, in the season opener before 2,512 at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

Georgia State led 39-35 at the half, but a lack of size hurt the hosts as Charleston got 11 offensive rebounds to mount its comeback. State's 6-9 center Deven Dickerson played just five minutes due to an asthma attack and 6-8 backup Justin Billingslea won't become eligible until next month. So, that left 6-8 Lance Perique and 6-7 Rashad Chase to battle the five Charleston “big men.”

“I think our big guys just got worn down a little down the last 10 minutes and weren't quite as quick as early in the game,” Coach Perry noted post game. “Those two fought hard and played well but were kind of outnumbered today. We played well in the first half and controlled the game a little. We tried four or five defenses to keep them off balance, but some long rebounds bounced their way instead of ours. We wanted to beat the heck out of him [Coach Bobby Cremins] just like any other coach and team in our season home opener. We are on the right path and got good effort, but not the winning effort today. But, we appreciated the enthusiasm and support of our fans today.”

“We got outplayed in the first half,” said Cremins. “They we're scoring well, but I didn't feel bad being down only four at the half. In the second half we played much better defense. Anytime you win on the road – I don't care what conference or who [we're playing] – you have to be pleased.

Georgia State was led in scoring by Perique with 19 points, a personal best by one point, and he also led the team with seven rebounds in filling in inside. Three other Panthers scored in double figures. Guard Leonard Mendez netted 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Rashad Chase muscled up 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Freshman guard Trae Goldston scored 10 points. The Panthers shot 48 percent in the first half, but just 38.5 in the second to finish at 44 percent for the game. State shot well outside the arc with 7-of-14 three-point attempts made.

Dontaye Draper led Charleston with 19 points on 3-of-6 outside the arc. Inside, forward Philip McCandies had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Jermaine Johnson added 10 points. Forward David Lawrence added nine points and seven rebounds. Charleston shot 42 percent for the game and got 30 points in the paint.

Team captain Leonard Mendez had 12 points and two assists in the season opener.

Georgia State opened quick four-point leads at 8-4 and 10-6 in the first three minutes of the game and opened it to 13-8 at 15:26 after a trey by Perique. Charleston battled back to tie at 18 with 9:42 and had its largest lead of the first half at 27-24 with 7:01 on the clock.
State answered behind five points from point guard Ron Larris and four free throws from point guard Trae Goldston to take another four-point lead at 37-33 at 2:52. Freshman Kevin Lott's follow-up at 44 seconds gave State a 39-35 lead at intermission.

“I really thought there was a chance we could get blown out for a while in the first half,” said Cremins. “I was impressed [by State] in the first half and they could be a good team this year.

In the second half State had its largest lead of the game at 42-37 on a trey by Mendez. But, a 7-0 run by Charleston wiped that out at 44-42 with 16:54. State answered with five more points of its own and held a 47-44 advantage at the 16-minute mark and held a 51-48 lead at 13:20. Then, Charleston used its inside game to run off an 8-1 spurt and gain a 59-52 advantage with eight minutes left. State rallied to 66-63 with 1:11 as Goldston made one of two free throws. Charleston was able to knock down 6-of-8 free throws in the final 42 seconds to earn the win.

Georgia State returns to action Thursday night against 1-0 Georgia Tech in a 6 p.m. skirmish at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.