What you need to know:
* Georgia State shot a second-round even par 284 at the NCAA Lubbock Regional on Friday to move into 10th place with one round to play.
* Senior Damon Stephenson shot the Panthers lowest round, a 3-under 68, to move into a tie for 14th.
* Georgia State is just seven strokes out of fifth-place with 18 holes to play. The top five teams advance to the NCAA Championship later this month.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Led by a 3-under 68 from senior Damon Stephenson, Georgia State shot a second round even par 284 to stand in 10th place entering the final round of the NCAA Lubbock Regional at The Rawls Course.
Junior J.J. Grey shot an even par 71 to move into a tie for sixth after making four birdies during the round. He remained a 4-under par for the tournament, four strokes off the lead.
Stephenson birdied three of his last five holes to move to 3-under thru 36 holes and tied for 14th. He opened the round with an 80-foot birdie putt on the tenth hole, before draining a 10-foot birdie on nine (his last hole) to finish with the Panthers low round of the day.
Georgia State, making its second-straight NCAA Regional appearance and 12th since 1999 stands just seven strokes back of fifth. The Panthers, which advanced to its fifth national championship appearance last year, must finish among the top five to qualify for the NCAA Championship in Bradenton, Fla., later this month.
“We played really well in tough conditions today,” head coach Joe Inman said. “I am really proud of the way the guys grinded. We are a little further back than I would like to be, but we still have a shot and that is all you can ask. We know we just have to go low on Saturday.
“I am also really proud of the way Damon played today. He knows that this could be his last collegiate tournament and he is playing like a senior that doesn't want it to end. At the end of the day, that is all I can ask as a coach.”
Sophomore Nathan Mallonee added an even par 71 to move into a tie for 63rd at 6-over for the event. He made back-to-back birdies on holes No. 14 and 15 to get to 1-under par after six holes.
Freshman Alexander Herrmann improved by three strokes from Thursday with a 3-over 74 and stands in a tie for 67th at 9-over entering the final round.
Freshman Max Herrmann rounded out the Panthers line-up with a 5-over 76 and is tied with Mallonee at 6-over in 63rd.
Host Texas Tech, ranked No. 9 in Golfstat, shot a 10-under 274 to move three strokes ahead of No. 2 Texas and into first place. The Red Raiders are 16-under after two rounds, while the Longhorns stand at 13-under. No. 48 Duke is third at 10-under, followed by No. 35 Houston in fourth at 7-under. No. 38 Louisville and SE Louisiana are tied for fifth at 4-under, while No. 13 Auburn is one back at 3-under.
Cal's K.K. Limbhasut shot a 3-under 68 to open a one stroke lead at 8-under par. Duke's Turner Southey-Gordon is second at 7-under, followed by Texas Tech's Clement Sordet in third at 6-under. SE Louisiana's Grady Brame and Houston's Blair Hamilton are tied for fourth at 5-under. Grey is one of eight golfers at 4-under.
Live scoring of the entire 54-hole tournament will be available at Golfstat.com and on the Golfstat mobile app.
Georgia State will be paired with UC Irvine and No. 23 North Florida on Saturday. The group will tee off the 10th hole starting at 9:25 a.m. ET.
If Georgia State finishes among the top five teams, the Panthers will advance to the NCAA Championship for a second-straight season, May 29-June 3, in Bradenton, Fla., at Concession Golf Club.
