RICHMOND, VA. (Feb. 19) ? Georgia State had a chance to end first place VCU's 14-game home win streak, but an offensive foul call with 11 seconds left let the host Rams escape with a 63-60 win in a Colonial Athletic Association game Thursday evening at the Siegel Center.
The Panthers had tied the game at 60 with 46 seconds left. When VCU made a free throw with 35 seconds, Georgia State got the ball back with a chance for the lead. With 11.5 seconds, point guard Crystal Johnson beat her defender and drove the lane and went up for a shot to take the lead. But, the referee called a player control foul instead of putting Johnson at the line for a chance at the lead, and VCU got the ball back. Forced to foul, the Panthers sent VCU to the line for two free throws with 10 seconds left to try for a game-tying three. But, they couldn't get a play set up and a deep three was wide.
Georgia State (11-14, 3-11) was led by senior Brittany Hollins with 18 points, including a pair of three-point baskets, and five assists. Junior forward Danyiell McKeller added 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Chandra Harris added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Point guard Johnson, who leads the CAA in assists, had eight assists tonight.
Virginia Commonwealth (22-4, 12-2) remained unbeaten at home this year in 15 games. Six-foot-five Quanitra Hollingsworth scored 21 points, mostly on put-backs off her teammates missed shots, and had 11 rebounds.
Georgia State attacked VCU's defense that led the league with a 51-point average, shooting 51 percent in the second half and outscoring the Rams, 34-31. The Panthers lost Chandra Harris with five fouls after 30 minutes, while three others had four fouls, including top scorer Jylisa Williams who played just 24 minutes as a result. The Panthers were called for 21 fouls, sending VCU to the line 20 times, while VCU was whistled for just 10 fouls all came and State shot just seven fouls.
“We were so close to walking out of here with a win tonight and we played well enough that this will be a positive for us down the stretch,” said head coach Lea Henry. “That was a tough call to be the one that decided the game, but we played with confidence and played to win. We shot the ball better tonight and both teams got after one another on both ends of the court. Hollins and McKeller played strong games tonight and the whole team can build on this effort.”
Down eight points with nine minutes to play, Hollins scored nine straight points for Georgia State as the Panthers tied the score at 49 with 5:32 to play. Crystal Johnson drove the lane for a basket, similar to the one with 11 seconds, to narrow it to 57-54 with two minutes to go. Down 58-54 with 1:43, Hollins drained a three to make it 58-57 at 1:28. Down 60-57 with 1:01 to go, Hollins again swished a trey to tie the game at 46.7 seconds and set up the frantic finish.
In the first half, the teams traded baskets and had four ties with the score at 11-11 with 8:51 to play in the half when the teams finally started heating up, in more ways than just shooting. When Georgia State's Jylisa Williams picked up a personal and a technical with 6:29 to play that gave her three fouls and sent her to the bench for the half. VCU built a 15-13 lead into a 22-13 lead at 5:15 and again at 24-15 with 4:12. But, Georgia State rallied to close within two points at 24-22 with 2:15 to go in the half. VCU built the lead back to six at halftime, 32-26. The teams both started 2-for-12 from the floor, but then finished the half with VCU making 11 of its next 16 shots and State nine of its final 16 shots of the first half.
Georgia State now plays three of its final four regular season games at home, beginning with James Madison on Sunday afternoon on Letterman's Day when the Panthers will honor all former players and this year's CAA Legend.
