What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State knocked off Middle Tennessee 64-56 on Wednesday night to earn its second win over an NCAA RPI Top 10 team in the last three seasons.
* Jeremy Hollowell led the Panthers with 20 points, while Jeff Thomas went a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range.
* Georgia State will return to the court on Dec. 28 facing UMass in the non-conference final. Half priced tickets can be purchased by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix and using promo code "Holiday".
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-Georgia State used a red-hot start and knocked down 10 3-pointers to top Middle Tennessee 64-56 on Wednesday night at the Charles M. Murphy Center.
It marked the second NCAA RPI Top 10 team the Panthers have knocked off in the last three seasons as the Blue Raiders entered the night No. 6 in the country and receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Georgia State improved to 7-4 as senior Jeremy Hollowell led the Panthers with 20 points, while sophomore Jeff Thomas went a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range to score 15 points. Sophomore Malik Benlevi just missed his first career double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Middle Tennessee dropped to 10-3 despite 19 points and six rebounds from Giddy Potts. The Panthers held the Blue Raiders to just 35.3 percent shooting and 7-of-26 from 3-point range.
“I think tonight's win just shows how tough our non-conference schedule has been,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “We didn't play great, but we played hard for 40 minutes. I thought this was the best team on our schedule other than Purdue and to come in here and get this is just a great road win.”
Georgia State improved to 8-5 against Conference USA schools during the last three-plus seasons, including a split of two games this year.
Combining full court pressure and a hot hand from Hollowell, the Panthers rushed out to a 9-0 lead following a free throw by Benlevi.
The Panthers pushed the lead to 17-7 as Hollowell knocked down his first three 3-point attempts before Middle Tennessee used a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 17-16 with 11:05 to play in the first half.
As Georgia State went cold from the field missing 8-of-9 shots, Middle Tennessee took its first lead of the game 22-19 with 7:29 to play.
After Thomas hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give GSU the lead with 5:31 remaining, the Blue Raiders tied the game with 3:22 to play. However, Middle Tennessee was held scoreless the rest of the half as the Panthers went on an 8-0 run, capped by another Thomas 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Panthers went into the locker room with a 33-25 lead going 7-of-12 from 3-point range. Hollowell led all scorers with 12 points, while Benlevi added seven points and four rebounds.
Middle Tennessee cut Georgia State's lead to six points four times in the second half, but the Panthers responded each time. After cutting it to six with 8:20 to play, Thomas hit another 3-pointer to give GSU a nine-point lead 48-39 with 8:01 to play.
Georgia State finally started to pull away as a hook shot in the lane by senior Willie Clayton gave the Panthers a 56-43 lead with 4:04 remaining. The Panthers pushed the lead to as many as 14 on Thomas' fifth 3-pointer with 3:22 to play.
Senior Isaiah Dennis earned the start and filled up the stat line with four points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Clayton added four points and nine rebounds in just 15 minutes off the bench.
The Panthers held Reggie Upshaw to just five points, while JaCorey Williams and Edward Simpson each added nine points.
Georgia State shot 47.8 percent for the game and 10-of-20 from 3-point range, outrebounding Middle Tennessee 34-31.
Georgia State will close out non-conference play hosting UMass on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena. Half-priced tickets can be purchased by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix and entering the promo code “Holiday”.
