Panthers Fall to Appalachian State in SBC Championship Game

Eliel Nsoseme earned SBC All-Tournament recognition.

Box Score PENSACOLA, Fla.-Georgia State nearly overcame a 14-point deficit with less than five minutes to play before falling to Appalachian State 80-73 on Monday night in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game at the Pensacola Bay Center.

Georgia State (16-6) saw its eight-game winning streak snapped by Appalachian State (17-11) which earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament which will be held in Indianapolis this year.

Trailing 67-53 following a Michael Almonacy's 3-pointer with 4:43 to play, the Panthers went on a 14-4 run to cut the Mountaineers lead to just 71-67 with 57.3 seconds to play. Unfortunately, Appalachian State made six-straight free throws over the next 20 seconds to go back ahead by 10 and secure their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 21 years.

Redshirt-junior Eliel Nsoseme, who earned all-tournament recognition, finished with seven points and 10 rebounds, just missing a third-straight double-double in the championship. Senior Kane Williams led the Panthers with 18 points and eight rebounds, moving into the top 10 on Georgia State's all-time scoring list with 1,227 points.

Appalachian State was led by Tournament MOP Michael Almonacy who scored 32 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Adrian Delph finished with 22 points.
Appalachian State used an early 9-0 run to take an 11-5 lead less than five minutes into the game, but Ryan Boyce spurred a 9-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a trey from Williams to go ahead 19-14 with 11:20 to play.

A 6-0 run capped by a Roberts lay-up late in the half gave Georgia State a 34-27 with just over three minutes to play. The Panthers went into the locker room with a 37-35 lead after going 6-of-11 from 3-point range before the break.

The Mountaineers retook the lead, 40-39, with 16:41 to play, but a Roberts jumper on the next possession put the Panthers right back ahead and it looked like one of many lead changes in the second half.

However, Appalachian State used a 6-0 run midway through the half to take a 52-43 lead and continued to apply pressure and make shots, building the lead to 67-53 following a 3-pointer from Almonacy.

Georgia State made one last run at a third-straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament title but came up just short at the end.

Freshman Evan Johnson came of the bench to scored 14 points, while Roberts and Ryan Boyce each scored 11.

Game Notes
• Georgia State entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as a No. 1-seed for the sixth time. The Panthers are now 12-3 in that spot.
• The Panthers played in a third-straight Sun Belt Conference tournament title game and the fifth time in the last seven years.
• GSU fell to 33-34 all-time in conference tournaments, but 10-5 since returning to the Sun Belt for the 2013-14 season.
• Georgia State is 10-7 all-time in conference championships in the state of Florida, winning a conference championship in 1991 in DeLand which led to the Panthers' first NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Georgia State's 16-6 mark is tied for the second-best 22-game start in program history.
• Georgia State has already secured an eighth-straight winning season for the first time in program history.
• Kane Williams moved ahead of Kevin Morris, Zavian Smith, and Nate Williams during the game to reach the top 10 in career scoring in program history.
• Williams has been a part of 83 wins in his four years, tied for the sixth-best four-year stretch in program history.
• Since returning to the Sun Belt in 2013-14, Georgia State has finished in the top two of the final regular season conference standings six times in eight seasons.
• During that same time, GSU has won more games (169) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.

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Players Mentioned

#32 Ryan Boyce: G; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#1 Eliel Nsoseme: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior

#12 Kane Williams: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#0 Evan Johnson: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#32 Ryan Boyce
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Eliel Nsoseme
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#12 Kane Williams
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#0 Evan Johnson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G