ATLANTA (Jan. 24) ? Georgia State fell victim to a hot-shooting Delaware team in a 71-57 CAA game on Thursday at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

Visiting Delaware shot 57 percent in building a 16-point first half lead and 51 percent for the game in setting season bests for points and shooting percentage. Host State hit just 25.8 percent in the first half and 33 percent for the evening.

Georgia State (4-13, 1-5) got 13 points from freshman guard Traci Haltiwanger and 10 points from junior guard Brittany Hollins. Delaware (4-14, 3-3) was led by senior guard Kyle DeHaven with 20 points on 4-of-5 three-point shots and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Vanessa Kabongo and Corinthia Benison each added 10 more points. Georgia State held a 43-37 rebound advantage with 25 offensive rebounds.

As if the cold-shooting wasn't enough to overcome for Georgia State, foul trouble got in the way as leading rebounder Shay Rawls got two fouls in the first two minutes of the game and sat the remainder of the half and Hollins picked up two and played just 14 of the first 20 minutes.

Delaware edged out to a 12-10 lead after eight minutes as the Blue Hens hit six of their first 10 shots and State made just 4-of-18 at that point. The score read 22-18 with 6:45 to play when two different State players each missed free throws that could have cut the lead. DeHaven then took charge of the game and went on a personal 8-0 run with a pair of three-point baskets to open a double-digit lead at 30-18 with 5:34. The Blue Hens' 17-5 overall run in those final six minutes opened the 39-23 halftime advantage.

The second half started with more of the same: Rawls getting a third foul early and going to the bench and Delaware hitting baskets. The 21-12 start in the first 10 minutes of the half opened a 60-35 advantage with just 10 minutes to go. State, sparked by its three freshmen that combined for 20 points and 15 rebounds, closed the gap in the final 10 minutes. Over the final eight minutes of the game, State outscored Delaware, 22-4.

“The key tonight was our first half struggle where no one stepped up to lead,” Coach Lea Henry noted. “We got in foul trouble and that was our fault. Our young team has be make better decisions for a full game to give ourselves a chance to win more. Tonight, Delaware got the tempo, the momentum and the confidence and went on a run. They had not shot that well all year, but their senior guard made the key plays and led them.”

The Panthers will play at home on Sunday at 2 p.m. against CAA rival Northeastern in the Sports Arena.