KALAMAZOO, MI -- Lucas Taylor scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Georgia State men's basketball team to a 77-70 victory at the Western Michigan Saturday at University Arena.
"I thought our guys played hard and did a great job of having some poise and composure," head coach Jonas Hayes said. "I'm pleased with our overall effort, togetherness and connectivity, even through some adversity."
The Panthers (1-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Taylor, the Wake Forest transfer who had 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting including five 3-pointers. Dwon Odom added 12 points off the bench and Leslie Nkereuwem chipped in as well with 10 points and two steals.
Led by Edward Nnamoko's three offensive rebounds, Georgia State crashed the offensive glass, pulling down 15 rebounds that resulted in 15 second-chance points.
Georgia State forced 16 Western Michigan (0-2) turnovers while committing 15 themselves in Saturday's game. The Panthers turned those takeaways into 12 points on the offensive end of the floor. Nkereuwem's two steals led the way for Georgia State.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 20-15 advantage, Georgia State went on a 6-0 run with 10:15 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Jay'Den Turner, to increase its lead to 26-15. The Panthers maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 40-29 advantage. Georgia State made a great contribution from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 40 total points.
Georgia State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run to grow the lead to 46-31 with 18:00 to go in the contest. The Broncos narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Panthers still cruised the rest of the way for the 77-70 win. Georgia State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 10 of its 37 total points.
Game Notes
» Georgia State never trailed on the way to a 77-70 victory.
» GSU shot 46 percent from the field and went 21-for-29 at the free throw line.
» The Panthers' defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
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Lucas Taylor led the Panthers and set a new career-high with 27 points.
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Jay'Den Turner posted a team-high seven rebounds.
The Panthers host the Northern Illinois Huskies in their first home game of the season on Friday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center. For tickets, visit GeorgiaStateSports.com/tix.
