ATLANTA (Nov. 13, 2008) ? Junior forward Danyiell McKeller scored 20 points and senior guard Brittany Hollins added 12 more as Georgia State defeated Georgia Southwestern State University, 74-57, in a Thursday exhibition game at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

Brittany Reynolds scored 14 points to lead Georgia Southwestern while Nadirah Gardner contributed 13 points.

Georgia State's full-court pressure defense produced 22 steals and forced 34 turnovers, paced by school career steals record holder Hollins' eight thefts.

That Panthers defense sparked a 12-3 run to end the first half and give State a 30-26 halftime advantage and continued that with another 8-2 burst to start the second half and up the margin to 38-28.

Southwestern (2-1 in exhibition play) had closed back to 54-48 with 9:03 left when State's defense really stepped up and the Panthers went on a 16-0 run over the next 6 and a half minutes to open up a 70-48 lead with 3:45 to go.

“Our defense stepped it up in the second half and we played some 1-2-2 which we haven't done in years,” Coach Lea Henry noted postgame. “The balance and depth of our roster now enables us to gamble and pressure the ball more.”

Henry was also pleased with the contributions of the recruiting class that saw four make major contributions in their first time in a Panthers uniform. JUCO forward Dana Olsen had nine points and six rebounds, while JUCO guard Brittany Graham netted eight consecutive points in a second-half run sparked by a pair of treys, while adding five rebounds. Freshman point guard Crystal Johnson debuted with six assists, four points and four rebounds. Freshman guard Jylisa Williams had six steals, five points and four rebounds. “We are getting an immediate impact from this recruiting class as they understand the game and make the entire team better,” Henry noted. “And, that allows Hollins and McKeller to play like the leaders that they are.”

State had 10 players score, and11 players grab rebounds as the substitutions came often. Starting forward Shay Rawls and 6-foot-2 freshman forward Kyla Bennett did not dress for this game.

Visiting Southwestern had played a pair of exhibition games already, scoring 101 points in one win and topping Florida A&M on the road in the other, and that showed at the start as host State played its first game of the year. The Lady Hurricanes led for the first eight minutes until State got a lead at 14-13. Then, Southwestern built its largest lead at 21-16 with 8:12 left before host State began capitalizing on its defense and transition game.

Leading scorer McKeller was pleased with the team for the first game: “We have been practicing hard and it showed some tonight. The chemistry is developing with our team and I think we're coming together more and will continue to get better and better with our work habits.”

Georgia State will get ready for its season opening game next Saturday, Nov. 22, at Clemson University at 3 p.m.