ATLANTA - Georgia State raced to a 101-55 win over Thomas University in Monday night's home opener at the GSU Sports Arena.
Five Panthers scored in double figures, while 15 players saw action for Georgia State. GSU improves to 2-0 heading into Friday's Thanksgiving Tournament.
- The 100-point game was the 11th in school history and first since Dec. 14, 2000 vs. Morris Brown (105-45).
- The 46-point margin tied the 12-largest and was the most since a 46-point win over Towson on Feb. 11, 2007.
Georgia State turned a 13-13 tie into a 22-13 lead, then grew that to 35-19 with nine minutes in the first half. The first 20-point lead came at 43-22 at 6:06 and the score grew to 52-27 at the half, a 25-point margin.
GSU's defense forced 27 turnovers, made 17 steals and held Thomas to 28.1 percent shooting for the game. The host Panthers shot 46 percent from the field, hit 47 percent outside the 3-point line (8 of 17) and made 82.1 percent of its free throws (23 of 28).
Freshman Makeba Ponder scored 16 points in 14 minutes off the bench to lead Georgia State. Senior center Brittany Logan added 12 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Reserve guard Ashlee Cole hit 12 points in 12 minutes off the bench. Point guard Alisha Andrews nailed 13 points, had five assists and four steals. Senior Kayla Nolan added another 10 points for GSU.
How deep did GSU go into the roster?
- All 15 players got into the game
- 12 of the players logged double-digit minutes of playing time
- No player logged more than 21 minutes of the possible 40
- 14 players had a rebound
- 12 players scored
- 11 players committed a foul
- 10 players had an assist
- 10 players made a steal
Thomas University, an NAIA school in Thomasville, Ga., slips to 4-4 on the season. Courtney Saunds led the Lady Night Hawks with 21 points and six rebounds.
"A lot of people contributed in a lot of ways, but we have a long way to go to get to playing the kind of basketball we are capable of playing," veteran coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener said. "Overall, the team played hard and it shows the depth and versatility we will have this season."
"The defensive energy was good and that leads to easier transition baskets and we'll need that often this season," Baldwin-Tener added. The stat sheet reflected 34 points scored off turnovers that the defense created tonight.
GSU has held both opponents this year under 60 points. When the Panthers do that on defense, they have won 21 of the last 24 games as a result.
Georgia State returns to action Friday as it plays host to its hoiday tournament. Penn State and Liberty play at 2 p.m., followed by Samford and GSU at 4 p.m.
