Newark, Del. (Feb. 28) ? Georgia State's defense led it to a road win over Delaware, 58-46, in a Colonial Athletic Association game on Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Georgia State (8-19, 5-11) bettered its season-low of 48 points on defense and kept Delaware to 21.8 percent shooting in gaining its first-ever win over the Blue Hens. State led from coast-to-coast in the game as the closest Delaware came was a run in the second half to cut the margin to three. State led by 15 points with 14 minutes to play and by 13 with 12 and a half to play when Delaware began its only run to make it 39-36 with 7:42. But, Brittany Hollins stepped up with five straight points to swing momentum back to the Panthers.
Georgia State got a third double-double game of the season from sophomore forward Danyiell McKeller with 19 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-10 field goals. Hollins was solid with 13 points and seven assists, while sophomore forward Shay Rawls added 10 rebounds and eight points. Senior center Vatai Smith came off the bench to add nine rebounds and five points in 15 minutes.
Delaware (7-21, 6-10) was led by senior guard Kyle DeHaven with 14 points and eight steals. Ariene Jenkins had 10 rebounds on the Blue Hens' Senior Night with 991 fans in attendance.
Georgia State controlled the boards with a 46-36 advantage and had 17 assists in running the transition game. The Panthers scored 32 of their 58 points in the paint.
“We defended well tonight and started strong by holding them to just those three first-half baskets,” Coach Lea Henry said. “We moved the ball better on offense and got it inside tonight to get some key baskets. To win on the road takes a team effort and a full 40 minutes of effort. We stayed composed and re-grouped when we needed to.”
Georgia State scored the first six points of the game as Brittany Hollins had a pair of assists to Danyiell McKeller and then a jumper herself in the first two and a half minutes. A third Hollins-to-McKeller play made it 12-4 after eight minutes. Mann knocked home a three-point basket and Hollins another jumper to give State its first double-digit lead at 17-7 with 10:50 to play in the half. Delaware closed t eight at 7:41, but a trey from the corner from Traci Haltiwanger made it 21-10 at 6:40. Hollins had her fifth assist of the first half as Vatai Smith converted with 15 seconds and State took a 25-14 lead into halftime. The 14 allowed was the lowest of the season for Georgia State as Delaware could make just 3-of-26 shots in that opening half.
“Beating a team on their home floor after they beat us earlier this year gives us a little confidence that we're improving,” said point guard Monica Mann after her eight points and six assists with 5-of-6 free throws made down the stretch. “I think we forced them into some shots they might not have wanted to take. And, I like the transition game where I can read the defense and find the open player to score.”
Georgia State will continue on its road trip and move down to Baltimore for a Sunday game with the Towson Tigers. They'll also be back on this court in Delaware for the CAA Tournament in two weeks.
