Wilmington, N.C.-Trevor Deloach nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give UNC Wilmington a 59-56 victory over Georgia State on Wednesday night at Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks overcame a career-high 27 points from senior Dante Curry, who knocked down seven three-pointers for the second time in less than a week for State.
Curry, who was named CAA co-Player of the Week on Monday, nailed 9-of-13 from the field and 7-of-10 from three-point range. However, State hit just 33 percent, 6-of-18, from the free throw line, which proved to be more than the difference in the game.
The loss ended Georgia State's three-game winning streak as the Panthers fell to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in the CAA.
"You have to give Wilmington a lot of credit tonight as they hit a big shot when they needed it," commented head coach Rod Barnes after the game. "This one will be tough for our guys, but we will bounce back and be ready for Saturday. The season is a marathon and not a sprint, so we just have to get our guys ready for Towson.
"We have been struggling from the free throw line all year long and tonight really hurt us. We just didn't play the way we are capable of playing tonight."
With the score tied at 56, junior Josh Micheaux missed a jumper that would have gave the Panthers a two-point lead. Following a 30-second timeout by the Seahawks, Deloach knocked down the three from well beyond the arc for the win.
UNC Wilmington, led by first year coach Buzz Peterson, improved to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in conference action.
Curry opened the game with a hot-hand, hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first minute to give Georgia State an early 6-2 lead.
The Seahawks followed with an 11-0 run, holding the Panthers without a basket for more than seven minutes, before senior Marques Johnson nailed back-to-back jumpers to cut deficit to six.
Wilmington continued to pull away, extending its lead to 13 points on a jumper by Matt Wilson, giving the Seahawks a 27-14 lead, their biggest lead of the night with 6:18 to go in the opening period.
The Panthers followed with a run of their own, outscoring the Seahawks 11-3 over the final six minutes of the half, as Curry once again knocked down two more three-pointers.
State held Wilmington without a basket over the final 3:45 to go into half down just 30-25.
The two teams played it close the entire second half, as the game saw a total of five ties and six lead changes.
Micheaux's putback with 14:27 remaining in the second half capped an 8-0 Panther run and gave State is first lead, 36-35, since the first two minutes of the game.
Junior Eric Buckner, coming off a career-high 28 points, was held in check by the Seahawks defense for the first 30 minutes of the game, but his first basket with 12:02 remaining in the game seemed to turn the momentum in the Panthers favor and tied the game.
Buckner finished the game with eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds, mostly coming in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Each team was held to just one basket over the final 3:44, before Wilmington's buzzer-beater to win the game.
Senior Marques Johnson, replacing the injured Devonta White, finished with eight points, five rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes of action.
Chad Tomko, an All-CAA selection, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Seahawks. Keith Rendelman added 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, knocking down 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
Wilmington, ranked first in the CAA entering the game in three-point shooting percentage and second in three's made, finished just 6-of-19 from behind the arc, but 13-of-17 from the free throw line.
Georgia State will return home on Saturday to face Towson at 6 p.m. Live radio coverage is available on WRAS-FM 88.5, 30 minutes prior to tip. Live statistics and live video can be followed at GeorgiaStateSports.com.
Tickets for that game, as well as the Panthers remaining home games can be bought by calling 1-866-GA-STATE or by going online to GeorgiaStateSports.com.
--GeorgiaStateSports.com--
