ATLANTA?Brian Johnson scored 15 points and Herb Courtney added 11 as Delaware outlasted Georgia State, 51-48, in a Colonial Athletic Association game Wednesday at the Georgia State Sports Arena.
Georgia State (6-18, 3-11 CAA), which suffered its sixth CAA loss by five points or fewer, led by 10 points at the half but the Blue Hens (11-13, 8-6 CAA) rallied by shooting 59 percent in the second half. Edwin Santiago's short jumper off the glass put Delaware ahead, 43-44 with 3:22 to play. After an offensive foul was called on State's Jihad Ali, the Blue Hens ran down the shot clock before Santiago missed a three-pointer as the horn sounded. The ball hit the glass and did not appear to hit the rim, but Alphonso Dawson grabbed the rebound and put it in for a 46-43 lead with 2:12 to play. Courtney's baseline jumper extended the lead to 49-45 with 58 seconds left.
Leonard Mendez led the Panthers with 18 points, and Rashad Chase had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. State shot 46 percent for the game and outrebounded Delaware, 33-25, but the Panthers were hurt by 18 turnovers, 11 of them in the second half, in losing their fourth straight game.
After State held Delaware to 19 percent shooting in the first half to take a 26-16 lead into the locker room, the Panthers got off to a slow start in the second half, managing just five points in the first 10 minutes of the half.
“I have to give Delaware credit, but I'm very disappointed in our team,” said Georgia State head coach Rod Barnes. “To go 10-for-19 from the free throw line and have 18 turnovers, you just can't do that at this time of year and expect to come out with a win. Down the stretch we're not doing what it takes to win games. We've got to figure it out and do a better job.
“Because we were careless and not aggressive enough in the second half, we opened up a door for them. They're a good team, and they walked into our place and got a win. Give them credit for coming back after being down 10, but we helped them.”
Johnson, Blue Hens' point guard who leads the CAA in assists, handed out four with zero turnovers. He scored 12 straight points late in the first half and early in the second.
The Panthers host Northeastern Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Georgia State Sports Arena.
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