Towson, Md.-Sophomore James Vincent scored a career-high for the second time against Towson this season and led the Panthers to a 63-60 win over the Tigers in the Towson Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon. Vincent scored 12 points and added a career-high five blocked shots as the Panthers never trailed.
Georgia State (10-13, 5-8 CAA) earned its second straight win to open the month of February.
Despite shooting just 2-of-11 from three-point range, the Panthers hit the glass hard, scoring 42 points in the paint and outrebounding Towson 36-22, including 14 offensive boards.
Towson (4-19, 0-13 CAA) lost for the 12th straight time and for the first time at home to the Panthers.
The win snapped a streak of nine straight games won by the home team in the series and gave State is first road win in CAA action this year.
"Our guys just hung in there and continued to play hard," commented head coach Rod Barnes. "We got a good lead today and given credit to Towson for working hard to come back, but we had some guys come off the bench and play well for us today. I am just so happy to be able to come away with this victory."
Vincent finished the game 6-of-10 from the field, with seven rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes of action. He scored 11 points against the Tigers on Jan. 5 to lead the Panthers.
Junior Brandon McGee came off the bench to match Vincent with 12 points and six rebounds as the Panthers used a balanced offensive attack to secure the win. Seven State players scored at least six points.
Towson, which trailed by 11 at halftime, was led by Josh Brown's 18 points, which nearly proved enough to rally in the second half.
Late in the first half, State used an 8-0 run, capped by a Vincent dunk, to give the Panthers a 35-23 lead with 1:57 remaining. GSU held the Tigers without a field goal over the final 5:40 of the half, limiting Towson to just five free throws.
State scored 28 points in the paint in the first half, while limiting the Tigers to just 26 total points en route to a 37-26 intermission lead.
Towson closed the gap in the second half, holding the Panthers without a field goal for more than six minutes early in the half. RaShawn Polk capped the Tigers run with a back-to-back baskets, including a three, cutting the Panthers lead to just three with 10:58 remaining in the game.
Isaiah Philmore's dunk with 6:43 remaining cut the Tigers deficit to just one at 52-51, one of three times Towson would cut the deficit to one point over the final seven minutes. Fortunately for State, the Tigers could never take the lead.
Following Philmore's dunk, the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a Josh Micheaux lay-up, extending State's lead to 59-51 with 3:05 to play.
Micheaux played despite illness throughout the game, but still managed to finish with nine points, five rebounds and five assists in his third straight start.
Towson responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 59-58 with 1:43, as State went two and half minutes without a basket. However, GSU grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds, each time with the shot clock winding down before the Tigers were forced to foul.
Micheaux made a pair of free throws with 25.6 seconds remaining and senior Marques Johnson made a lay-up with five seconds remaining to secure the win.
Philmore finished with 10 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, while RaShawn Polk finished with 13 points.
Georgia State will now prepare pair of home games next week for Spirit Week. State will face Hofstra on Wednesday at 7 p.m., followed by Northeastern on Feb. 12 at noon, live on CSS. Live radio coverage of each game 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 all remaining home games can be bought by calling 1-866-GA-STATE or by going online to GeorgiaStateSports.com. The game can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 beginning 30 minutes prior to tip.
--GeorgiaStateSports.com--
