ATLANTA (Feb. 21) ?UNC Wilmington came from behind to top Georgia State, 52-42, in a Colonial Athletic Association game in the Georgia State Sports Arena on campus.
Georgia State (7-18, 4-10) began like it was going to spring an upset over the visiting Seahawks, now 16-9 and winners of five straight. The host Panthers got the lead at 9-8 at 13:23 and held the lead for over 11 minutes until UNCW got it back at 19-18 with 1:50 in the first half. But, the Panthers off-shooting night and plethora of turnovers kept them from being able to finish what they started.
Wilmington grew a 22-18 halftime margin to a 30-20 advantage in the first five minutes. The Panthers closed to 32-28 with 10 minutes left, but the missed shots and turnovers continued to haunt the comeback.
For the game, Georgia State shot just 14-of-49 from the field (28.6 percent) and even just 12-of-20 from the free throw line (60 percent) to couple with 26 turnovers.
“We could not knock down our shots, or even make our free throws tonight,” Coach Lea Henry said post-game. “When you hold a team to 52 points, you give yourself a chance to win, but we could not capitalize. It was not a lack of effort, but just a matter of not being able to put the ball in the basket. Sometimes, it is a matter of just relaxing and making the basic plays.”
Georgia State got 10 points from sophomore center Shay Rawls. Sophomore Danyiell McKeller collected 10 rebounds and eight points. Georgia State blocked a season-high eight shots, three by Vatai Smith.
Freshman forward Brittany Blackwell topped UNC Wilmington (16-9, 7-7) with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Treasure Johnson came off the bench to add 14 points. The Seahawks held a slim 40-37 rebound margin.
Georgia State's largest lead was at 16-11 with 6:41 in the opening half when the Panthers lost the target. State started the game 5-of-9 from the field and then went 2-of-16 the remainder of the half. UNCW had an 11-2 run to move the score to the 22-18 halftime advantage.
Georgia State played without point guard Monica Mann, who suffered a concussion in the last game and was held out as a precaution.
The Panthers will head to Boston for a Sunday afternoon game with CAA rival Northeastern at 2 p.m.
