ATLANTA-Trae Goldston scored 17 points and Trey Hampton added 11 points and nine rebounds to lead Georgia State to a 77-53 victory over Carver Bible College in the Panthers' home opener at the Sports Arena.
Sophomore James Fields contributed a career-high 11 points off the bench for the Panthers, who evened their record at 1-1. Carver fell to 0-6.
"We're very happy to get the win, but we know we can play much better, especially defensively," said Georgia State head coach Rod Barnes. "Give credit to Carver; they like to get up a lot of shots and they've got some guys who are capable of scoring a lot, but we gave up too many easy baskets.
"We played well defensively in our first game, and we've practiced well, but tonight, we didn't play with the kind of cohesiveness on defense that we need.
"From an offensive standpoint, playing against a team that plays 40 minutes of zone is a little unusual, but that experience is going to help us."
Hampton, a senior from Hoover, Ala., turned in a strong all-round effort, going 4-for-5 from the field, along with four blocked shots and three steals.
"Trey really did a good job, especially in the second half," said Barnes. "I challenged our guys at halftime, and he really came out and gave great effort on defense and on the boards."
The Panthers led from the opening tip and used their size advantage on the boards, outrebounding Carver 49-35, and getting to the free throw line 32 times. GSU forced 21 turnovers and grabbed 15 steals, but the Panthers also committed 18 turnovers.
Cory Evans led Carver with 17 points, and Joshua Caston added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Panthers built a 41-27 halftime lead as Goldston scored 15 of his points before the intermission. He also had six rebounds and a career-high five assists. Xavier Hansbro added eight points and nine rebounds.
"We have a goal of going undefeated at home, so we'll take this win but realize as a team that we've got to do better," said Barnes. "
Georgia State now hits the road for five straight games, beginning with this weekend's Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., in which the Panthers will face Drake (Friday, 1:15 p.m.), Howard (Saturday, 11 a.m.) and IUPUI (Sunday, 1:15 p.m.). The next GSU home game is Nov. 30 versus Jacksonville.
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