ATLANTA. (Feb. 26) ? Georgia State posted a 70-67 win over UNC Wilmington in a Colonial Athletic Association game Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

Georgia State was coasting along with a 21-point second-half lead (55-34, 12:02) when UNC Wilmington came back to tie at 65-65 with 2:19 left. State senior guard Brittany Hollins made a key three-point basket with 1:50 in the game to give State the lead back at 68-65. After a basket by UNC Wilmington's Brittany Blackwell with 46 seconds made it 68-67, State point guard Crystal Johnson made two free throws with 19 seconds for the final points. UNC Wilmington never got a good shot off after two time outs, with a three-point attempt falling way short.

Georgia State (12-15, 4-12) junior forward Danyiell McKeller paced the attack with 24 points and seven rebounds. Hollins added 12 points, plus three steals, three blocks, three assists and three rebounds. Point guard Johnson added eight points, eight assists and six steals in a solid game.

UNC Wilmington (14-13, 8-8), who was just one game out of moving into fourth place to gain a first-day tournament bye, had its four-game winning streak ended. Guard Candace Walker led the Seahawks with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while guard Greta Luksyte added 12 points.

State has lost eight games by single digits this year, including games by one point, a pair by two points, one by three points and a pair by four points. The closest win State had this year was a non-CAA game by five points. Finally, they got a win at the finish. Georgia State improves to 10-4 at home this year.

Georgia State, who ranked No. 10 in the nation in steals (11.9) per game, used its defense tonight to record 17 steals and force 24 UNC Wilmington turnovers.

“This team never gives up and plays determined,” said head coach Lea Henry. “Tonight they did what they needed to do to get a win. The score does not indicate how much we controlled the tempo for 30 minutes, but we let them back in by being in foul trouble and softening up on defense.”

“McKeller is probably still only about 60 percent with her sore knees, but she really lifted the team tonight,” Henry continued. “Give her lots of credit for toughness. But, everyone was making plays tonight and playing hard.”

Georgia State broke open a 15-15 start through 10 minutes with a quick 8-0 run, sparked by steals, to open a 23-15 advantage at 7:47. The Panthers continued their run to take a 15-point lead into halftime at 38-23.

In the second half, the host Panthers started with a 9-3 run, led by forward Chandra Harris, and opened a 47-26 lead at 16:55. For the next four minutes, State maintained that lead, keeping it at 21 points at 55-34 with 12:04.

But, then the visiting Seahawks went on a steady 31-10 run over the next 10 minutes and the game was back tied again.

Georgia State travels to face CAA rival Delaware on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Newark, Del.