ATLANTA (Dec. 2) ? Georgia State set a new school record for steals in its home opening 82-42 win over Presbyterian Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.

The Panthers, who entered the game ranked No. 5 in the nation in turnover margin (+26) and No. 11 in steals (13.7 per game), certainly moved that ranking higher with the school record 30 steals to go with 41 forced turnovers. The Panthers had just 12 turnovers for a +29 and had the ball stolen just 3 times for a +27.

The previous school record for steals in a game was 23 in 1995 against Kennesaw State. Tonight's leader of the steals pack was appropriately the school's all-time steals leader, Brittany Hollins with seven. Hollins, with 273 career thefts, moves into the top 10 in CAA history.

Georgia State (2-2), with a hefty 33 points from its bench, had four players in double figures. Freshman guard Jylisa Williams scored 14 points with five steals, while junior forward Danyiell McKeller added 13 points. Hollins added 10 points, leaving her five shy of 1,000 for her career, and sophomore forward Chandra Harris also contributed 10 points.

Presbyterian (2-4), who had its two-game win streak halted, was led by Kaitlin Moore's 14 points and Amanda Mills' 12 points.

“Obviously our defensive pressure was effective tonight,” Coach Lea Henry said after the home opener. “I think it might be a long, long time before that steals record is broken.”

“It says a lot about our whole team and how everyone contributed tonight,” Henry added. “Consistency is our goal, so we want to continue to work and build a winning streak.”

After a slow start and 13-11 lead with 10:12 in the opening half, Georgia State turned up the defense and went on a 20-0 run to open a 31-11 lead at 5:23 before Presbyterian ended a six-minute drought with a basket at 3:57. The Panthers took a 37-17 lead into halftime.

A 16-6 run to start the second half built State's lead to 30 points at 53-23 with 11:12 on the clock. The Panthers twice had leads of 44 points in the second half as the steals and turnovers continued.

Senior Brittany Hollins was the usual catalyst. “I am always determined to make an impact on the defensive end,” the cat-quick guard said. “We have a deep team this year and everyone gave us something tonight. This is only the beginning of what this team can do,” Hollins noted.

Coach Henry respects her senior captain. “Brittany gives everything she has every second she is on the floor,” Henry said. “She is an all-around player who fills all the categories on the stat sheet and if her teammates play as hard and follow her lead, we'll have a good year.”

Georgia State will play host to Alabama State on Friday evening at 6 p.m. as it looks for a second straight home win.