ATLANTA-Georgia State fell to Samford, 70-61, in overtime at the GSU Sports Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers (2-2) led 52-45 with a 1:10 to play in regulation, but Samford's Andy King hit a game-tying three-pointer with 11 seconds left, and GSU had a game-winning basket waved off for a player control foul with just three seconds left.
Samford (4-3) scored the first seven points in the overtime and held on for the victory.
Freshman Javonte Maynor led Georgia State with 12 points. Junior-transfer Brandon McGee contributed nine points and seven rebounds, and senior Marques Johnson added eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
Georgia State led the entire second half and held a 55-50 advantage with 41 seconds left after Dante Curry hit a pair of free throws for the Panthers. Samford's Josh Bedwell managed to draw a foul on a three-point attempt with 21 seconds to play and hit all three, pulling the Bulldogs within 55-53.
"I'm just disappointed for our team," commented head coach Rod Barnes. "We have really worked hard, but tonight, the way Samford played made things really tough for us. We allowed them to shoot too many free throws and they made too many easy baskets. At the end of the night, you have to tip your hat to them."
GSU's Johnson sank one free throw for a three-point advantage, but when he missed the second, King was able to tie the game with his three-pointer. Jihad Ali drove to the basket and scored what appeared to be the winning basket with 3.7 seconds left, but he was called for the charge, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra session, after Samford hit a pair of field goals, the Bulldogs pulled away as Jeffrey Merritt threw up a desperation heave as the shot clock expired. The ball bounced off the glass and around the rim before dropping through the net for a three-pointer and a seven-point Samford lead with 1:53 left in the overtime.
"To give ourselves a better chance to win, we really need to do a better job of following the scouting report. We have so many new guys that played quality minutes for us tonight, but we just did not have the effort we needed to pull off a win against a team like this."
Samford went 23-for-30 at the free throw line.
It marked the sixth time the two squads have gone to overtime over the 47 times the two have met-up. With the win, the Bulldogs tied the overtime match-ups 3-3 and closed the series to 24-23 in favor of the Panthers. Samford has now won three straight dating back to 2003.
Georgia State dropped its eighth straight overtime contest dating back to 2007.
The Panthers led by as many as 11 points in the first half as they connected on 50 percent from the field, including five three-pointers. In the second half, GSU managed to shoot just 32 percent, allowing the Bulldogs to remain within striking distance.
Georgia State will return to action when the Panthers travel to Hampton. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. State will return home to open CAA action on Dec. 4, as James Madison makes the trek south to the Sports Arena.
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