ATLANTA (Feb. 4) – Northeastern got the last ride on the roller coaster to roll away with a 61-53 win over host Georgia State in a Colonial Athletic Association game.
When the game starts with Northeastern opening with a 10-0 run down the roller coaster and Georgia State following back with 11-0 run to take the 11-10 lead, one knew this could be a little different.
After a level ride at 15-15, Georgia State hit the down slope and rolled another 10-3 run to open a 25-18 lead. The host Panthers maintained that with a 31-22 halftime lead.
Northeastern started the second half with its next run, a 7-2 slide to make it just 33-29 with 18:10 to play. But, GSU's 6-2 run opened it back to 39-31 with 16:31.
Once again, Northeastern's coaster ride took them on a 8-0 journey to take a 40-39 lead with 12:25 to go. Georgia State found the downslope again with its 6-0 ride to open a 45-40 margin with 11:05.
The Panthers were coasting at 47-42 as the game entered the final 10 minutes, but Northeastern took off on an 8-0 run to take a 50-47 advantage with 5:28 to play.
Northeastern was clinging o a 50-49 lead with 4:55 on the clock, but enjoyed the final 11-4 ride to claim the road win.
A big part was the Huskies' 17-of-22 free throws (77.3%) to just 4-of-9 from the charity stripe for the host Panthers. State held a 36-34 rebound advantage and made 22 baskets to NU's 20. Northeastern shot a key 57.1% in the second half and GSU hit just 29% in that second half. Georgia State's defense had 11 steals and forced 19 turnovers, but didn't capitalize.
Georgia State (12-9, 3-7) got a personal-best 27 points from senior forward Danyiell McKeller, her 12th 20-point game of the season and 18th of her career. McKeller also had a career-best six-steal game. Shay Rawls had 12 rebounds, while Crystal Johnson added nine points and five assists.
Northeastern (9-12, 4-6) had four players in double figures. Forward Kim Carr was solid with 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line for 17 points. Brittany Wilson added 14 points, even though she was just 4-of-13 from the field, along with nine rebounds. Kendra Walton hit 5-of-8 for 12 points and Kashaia Cannon added 10 points.
“Obviously, I am disappointed we didn't finish what we started,” Coach Lea Henry said. “We had a lot of wide-open, great looks, but everybody just didn't put the ball in the basket tonight. It takes everyone on the roster contributing and stepping up to find a way to win. We just simply didn't make baskets on our home court that we should have made.”
The Panthers return to the Sports Arena on Super Bowl Sunday for a 1 p.m. CAA game with William and Mary.
