What You Need to Know:
* Isaiah Williams made a pair of free throws with 1.2 seconds to play to send the game into overtime and then helped secure a 78-72 Georgia State win over IUPUI on Friday night.
* Senior Kevin Ware and redshirt-junior Jeremy Hollowell each scored 18 points to lead the Panthers who won for the 10th-straight time at home, tied for the third-longest home court winning streak in program history.
* Georgia State rallied from a five-point deficit, 64-59, with 39 seconds to play before sending the game into overtime and finished the game on an 11-3 run.
ATLANTA-Redshirt-sophomore Isaiah Williams made two free throws with 1.2 seconds to play to send the game to overtime and another three free throws in overtime to secure a 78-72 win for Georgia State over IUPUI on Friday evening at the GSU Sports Arena.
Georgia State led by nine with 8:51 to play before IUPUI tied the game with just over five minutes remaining and took a five point lead, 64-59, with 39 seconds to play before the Panthers mounted a rally at the end of regulation.
Redshirt-freshman Jeff Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws and then made a jumper a possession later before Williams sped to the basket for a lay-up with 17 seconds to play to cut the lead to 66-65 as IUPUI made two free throws between possessions.
After IUPUI's Marcellus Barksdale made a free throw with nine seconds to play, Williams was fouled going to the rim and made both free throws to send the game into overtime with just over a second remaining. Williams finished with 13 points in 20 minutes of action.
In overtime, the Jaguars took a quick two-point, 69-67, before Georgia State finished the game on an 11-3 run as the Panthers made their final five free throws to secure the win.
“That was a character win by our guys tonight,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “I always say that good teams find a way to win. That was a tough game for me to coach knowing some of the players and coaches over there. Coach has that team moving in the right direction and I know it was a big game for them. At the end of the day, I am just glad we came away with the win and can move on to the next one.”
Hunter coached IUPUI for 17 years and 274 wins before coming to Atlanta in March 2011.
Georgia State improved to 3-1 and extended its home court winning streak to 10-straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in school history. The Panthers won for the 50th time in the last 64 games dating back to Dec. 14, 2013 and are 28-1 in the GSU Sports Arena since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Senior Kevin Ware and redshirt-junior Jeremy Hollowell each scored 18 points in the win, while senior T.J. Shipes just missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Ware went 7-of-10 from the field as the Panthers shot 57.4 percent for the game.
IUPUI fell to 2-5 despite the Jaguar bench outscoring Georgia State's 41-13. Jordan Pickett came off the bench to score 19, while Darell Combs added 16.
The Jaguars forced Georgia State in 22 turnovers that led to 25 points. The Panthers had only turned the ball over 25 times in the first three games of the season.
Senior Markus Crider and redshirt-freshman Jeff Thomas each added seven points for the Panthers.
Georgia State trailed by one, 33-32 at halftime time, despite shooting 61.9 percent in the opening half. IUPUI made up the difference by knocking down six 3-pointers to the Panthers one.
The Panthers opened the second half by holding IUPUI without a field goal for more than seven minutes, going on a 14-2 run to take a 46-35 lead with under 13 minutes to play.
Trailing 54-45, IUPUI used a 9-0 run to tie the game 54-54 with 5:16 to play before Hollowell knocked down a pair of free throws at the other end to give the Panthers a two-point lead.
Georgia State will embark on a two-game road trip that will begin on Tuesday at UAB in a match-up of two No. 14 seeds which upset No. 3-seeds in last year's NCAA tournament. The game will air live on the American Sports Network at 9 p.m. ET.
