ATLANTA ? Georgia State's women's basketball team rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to claim a thrilling 58-54 win over visiting Samford Tuesday evening at the Georgia State Sports Arena. The Panthers post their third consecutive win and even their mark at 3-3 overall, while the Bulldogs see their 4-game win streak snapped as they fall to 4-2.

Four players scored in double figures for Georgia State, led by sophomore center Marcquitta Head (Conley, Ga.), who posted game-highs with 14 points and nine rebounds in reserve. Freshman guard Tabitha David (Mableton, Ga.) and freshman forward Danyiell McKeller each added 12. Senior guard Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen (St. Petersburg, Fla.) totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

The Panthers shot 28 percent in the first half compared to 43 percent for Samford as the Bulldogs led for most of the period and opened up a 29-18 halftime advantage

Samford's margin ballooned to 14 points, 34-20, after a 3-point basket from forward Alex Munday with 18:38 remaining in the game. Trailing by 11 (47-36) with 9:19 remaining, two made free throws from McKeller sparked an 11-0 Georgia State run. The spurt was capped by a fast-break layup from sophomore guard Brittany Hollins (Columbia, S.C.) off a steal from junior guard Keisha Monroe (Spring Lake, N.C.), allowing the Panthers to tie the contest at 47-all with 6:06 left in the game.

Georgia State took its first and only lead of the second half, 56-54, following a layup from Head off an assist from Roegiers-Jensen with 43 seconds remaining. Samford's Chelsee Insell, who led the Bulldogs with 13 points, missed two free throws with 19 seconds on the clock that would have tied the game. Hollins collected the ensuing rebound and was immediately fouled. She calmly sank both free throws to seal the four-point win for the Panthers.

"Our pressure defense in the second half really made the difference for us in this game," stated head coach Lea Henry, who is now only two wins shy of 200 career victories at Georgia State. "It allowed us to take Samford out of its rhythm offensively. During the timeouts and at halftime, I explained to our team what we needed to do to win this game. This was a total team effort. Our veteran leadership, with Marcquitta and Keisha off the bench, gave us the spark we needed in the second half."

Georgia State out scored Samford 40-25 in the second half and held Samford scoreless for the final 2:39 minutes. The Panthers connected from the field at 70 percent (14-of-20) in the second stanza, while going 9-of-10 from the free throw line and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. State finished the game making 47 percent of its field goals and held Samford to 40 percent.

Prior to the contest, Georgia State honored junior Vatai Smith (Greensboro, N.C.) for setting the single-season blocked shots record last year, and Monica Thomas (2002-06) for setting the Georgia State record for 3-pointers made in a career last season. Former Panther Patechia Hartman also had her jersey #3 retired.

State opens Colonial Athletic Association play at Hofstra on Sunday. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The Pride is currently receiving votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Box Score

Samford (4-2) -- 29-25=54