ATLANTA (Dec. 30) ? Georgia State raced past Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 69-57, to claim the championship of the 15th annual Georgia State Invitational Tournament.

The host Panthers won a third straight game and posted a sixth win in their last seven outings with its defense that held the Islanders to 31.3 percent shooting, forcing 18 turnovers and making 11 steals.

Georgia State (7-3) was led today by senior guard Brittany Hollins with 14 points and six rebounds, by freshman guard Jylisa Williams with 13 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists and by forward Danyiell McKeller's 13 points. In addition, point guard Crystal Johnson excelled with nine assists, seven points and six rebounds, while junior forward Dana Olsen added eight rebounds to tie junior forward Shay Rawls' eight boards.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4-8) got 10 points from guard Jade Davis and nine points each from Lauren Smith and Deziree Green.

In the consolation game of the tournament, Rhode Island topped Mississippi Valley State, 63-46.

“This was a team win today as almost everybody on the roster contributed,” said Coach Lea Henry. “We subbed early and often and that helped us keep good focus, rebound well, play at an up tempo and get some easy shots. We feel ready and are playing with some conference as we head into conference play Sunday.”

Visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hit a trio of three-point baskets and built an early 18-12 lead before things started to click for Georgia State. State went on a 13-0 run over a seven-minute span to make that a 25-18 advantage. TAMUCC did not make a basket the final nine minutes of the first half and State took a 29-20 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, State grew a 39-31 lead at 13:24 into a 47-31 lead with a quick 8-0 run sparked by Hollins. The Panthers had their largest lead of the game at 19 points at 57-38 with 7:45 left to play. As State subbed down the stretch, TAMUCC closed the margin back to eight points, equaling the closest they ever were in the second half.

“Our team chemistry is good as the players work well together,” Coach Henry noted. “Our two freshmen guards understand what we want to do and carry that out into games. Crystal Johnson is such a key as she controls the flow of the game and Jylisa Williams does so many things well on both ends of the court.”

Georgia State, 4-0 at home this year, will begin the CAA season on Sunday with a trip to Wilmington, N.C. to face the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington.

The All-Tournament team consisted of Mississippi Valley State's Colby Stallings, Rhode Island's Lindsay Harris, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Jade Davis, and Georgia State's Brittany Hollins and Crystal Johnson. The Panthers Jylisa Williams was Tournament MVP with her two-day total of 26 points, 14 steals, 12 rebounds and nine assists.