MIAMI -- A potential game-winning shot by Ryan Harrow didn't fall with less than five seconds to play and Georgia State fell to FIU at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Saturday night, 61-60. Harrow finished with 21 points and R.J. Hunter added 17 as the Panthers dropped their fourth-straight road game.
Georgia State (2-5) made just 4-of-10 second half free throws which proved to be the difference, shooting 56.3-percent from the line for the game.
FIU (7-3) got a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds from Tymell Murphy and Rakeem Buckles added nine points and 17 rebounds for the Panthers which won for the seventh time in eight games.
Georgia State was outrebounded on the glass 49-27, giving up 18 second chance points. Redshirt-junior Curtis Washington secured 14 rebounds, more than half of the Panthers total for a career-high.
“We played a lot better defensively tonight, but then we let other things slide,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “You cannot get outrebounded by 22 and shoot 56.3-percent from the free throw line and expect to win too many games.
“The month of November has not been good to us, but now we get to go home, regroup and get this thing turned around.”
The two teams went into the half tied at 27 before Georgia State opened the second half on a 7-0 run to a 34-27 lead with 18:01 to play, its biggest of the game.
Georgia State led most of the second half before FIU's Dennis Mavin made a lay-up and free throw with 1:02 to play to give the home team a 59-58 lead.
The Panthers had a chance to tie it or take the lead, but Washington was fouled on the other end and missed both free throws attempts.
Buckles responded with a lay-up for FIU to take a 61-58 lead with 30.2 seconds to play.
The Panthers responded as Harrow hit a lay-up and was fouled, but missed a free throw that would have tied the game with 20.2 seconds to play.
On the other end, Murphy missed the first end of a one-and-one giving Georgia State one last chance that came up just short.
Manny Atkins added 11 points for Georgia State, hitting three of the Panthers seven 3-pointers.
Georgia State held FIU to just 4-of-15 from 3-point range, including 1-of-7 in the second half.
FIU opened the game on a 7-0 run before Hunter called GSU's first time. The Golden Panthers built their lead to as many as 11 at 14-3 before Georgia State held FIU scoreless for nearly six minutes.
During that stretch, Georgia State used a 10-1 run to cut FIU's lead to 15-13 with 9:11 to play in the first half.
Georgia State continued to cut into the early double-digit deficit and took its first lead on Washington lay-up 25-24 with 1:12 in fist half. The two teams went into the half tied at 27.
Georgia State missed 15 of its first 20 shots before finishing the first half shooting 31.0-percent from the floor. The visitors where outrebounded 22-14, but hit 4-of-9 from 3-point range to make up the difference.
Mavin finished with 14 points for FIU.
Georgia State will return home for three of its next four games, beginning with Young Harris on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-GA-STATE or visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com.
