ATLANTA-Junior Markus Crider recorded his first career double-double and Georgia State used a late second half run to score a 65-45 victory over UL Monroe on Tuesday night in the Sun Belt opener for both schools.
Crider, who barely missed a pair of double-doubles earlier in the year, finished with 13 points and tied a career-high with 10 rebounds. After missing his first three shots of the game, he made his last five and went 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
With the score tied at 36-36 with 13:27 to play, Georgia State (8-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) responded with a 16-0 run to take a 52-36 lead with 6:35 to play and never looked back.
R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow, the No. 3 scoring duo in the country, were held to just 25 points, but 57.7 percent shooting by the Panthers in the second half allowed GSU to overcome a six-point second half deficit and earn the win.
Hunter finished with 18 points and moved ahead of Chavelo Holmes and into fourth on Georgia State's all-time scoring list. He now has 1,380 career points and is just 13 shy of Devonta White for third.
Harrow who scored seven points and was held in single digits for the first time this year dished out eight of the Panthers' 18 assists.
Georgia State has now won 18 of its first 19 games in the Sun Belt since returning to the league and 30 of 37 games overall dating back to last season. The Panthers have also won 17-straight home games, just eight shy of the school record of 25 set between 2000 and 2002.
“It was truly a game of two halves and two teams,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “I thought Markus Crider was big for us tonight. We made an adjustment at half time to space ULM out. When we did that, it opened it up for Markus and worked out.
“Our defense and our energy was what won that game for us tonight. It was absolutely incredible.”
UL Monroe took an early 15-7 with a little more than eight minutes to go in the first half as Georgia State missed 14 of its first 17 shots. Georgia State's defensive kept them in the game, as the Warhawks shot just 25 percent over that same stretch.
Georgia State responded with three 3-pointers, including two from Hunter, one from Jalen Brown and a reverse lay-up from Harrow to go on a 11-0 run and take a 20-17 lead with 4:53 to play in the first half.
Despite shooting 32 percent in the first half and 3-of-11 from 3-point range, the Panthers went into the locker room trailing just 26-23.
Following a 3-pointer by ULM's Nick Coppola gave the Warhawks a 29-23 lead early in the second half, the Panthers responded took a 36-35 lead with 14:25 to play as Crider scored eight-straight Panther points.
Georgia State then used its run before building the biggest lead of the game, 20 points, which also was the final margin.
UL Monroe (6-6, 0-1 Sun Belt) was had no players score in double figures as Jamaal Samuel led the Warhawks with nine points and five rebounds.
Preseason all-conference honoree Tylor Ongwae was held both scoreless and without a rebound. Last season, Ongwae scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Panthers in Monroe, La.
Senior captain Ryann Green added a career-high seven points and pulled down five rebounds in a career-high 21 minutes for Georgia State, while Kevin Ware added nine points off the bench.
Freshman Jordan Session added four points and set a career-high with seven rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
Georgia State held ULM to just 28.3 percent shooting and outrebounded the Warhawks, 39-33.
The Panthers 18 assists came on just 24 made field goals, including all nine first half baskets.
Georgia State will continue its three-game Sun Belt home-stand on Saturday facing UALR at 2 p.m. ET.
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