MOBILE, AL -- Deasia Merrill scores a double-double to send the Panthers to a 73-47 win over South Alabama on Saturday afternoon.
"We challenged Deasia to be active in defensive rebounding, and she did that with 11 rebounds," head coach Gene Hill said. "Really proud of her effort today."
The Panthers' win over the Jaguars marks the largest margin of victory in a Sun Belt game since 2016-17 (42 vs ULM).
The Georgia State women's basketball team had 10 fewer turnovers than South Alabama.
The Panthers (10-7, 4-3) had two players score in double figures, led by Merrill, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kaleigh Addie tacked on 11 points off the bench and Mikyla Tolivert added six points, six assists and six steals.
Georgia State took advantage of excellent ball movement in Saturday's game, piling up 17 assists on 30 made field goals. Tolivert's six assists led the distribution list for the Panthers.
The Georgia State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 22 South Alabama turnovers while committing 12. Those takeaways turned into 27 points on the offensive end of the floor. Tolivert's six steals led the way individually for the Panthers.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 10-5 advantage, Georgia State went on a 7-0 run with 5:22 left in the first quarter to increase its lead to 17-5. The Panthers then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 27-12 advantage. Georgia State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 27 points close to the basket.
Georgia State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 4:18 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Alyssa Phillip, to increase its lead to 38-22. The Panthers kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 44-28 advantage heading into halftime. Georgia State dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 17 points close to the basket.
Georgia State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Crystal Henderson, to expand its lead further to 51-32 with 7:01 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Panthers added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 58-37 edge. Georgia State knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 14 total points.
Georgia State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Phillip's jumper, to grow the lead to 65-39 with 7:42 to go in the contest. The Panthers held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 73-47 win. Georgia State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 15 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Merrill notched her second double-double of the season after scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds.
» Freshman Aaliyah Hunt scored a career-high four rebounds, two blocks and one steal for the Panthers.
» The Panthers held the Jaguars to only 32.1 percent shooting from the field.
» The Panthers never trailed after taking a 27-12 first quarter lead.
» Georgia State tallied 17 total assists in the game.
» The Georgia State bench came alive by scoring 39 points to its scoring output.
» Merrill and Addie came off the bench to score 17 and 11 points, respectively.
» The Panthers forced 22 South Alabama turnovers while committing only 12 on the other end.
» Georgia State had a 43-39 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Georgia State defense forced 22 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Deasia Merrill led the Panthers with a game-high 17 points.
» Georgia State got a game-high 11 rebounds from Deasia Merrill.
The Panthers are back in action on Jan. 24 on the road to Statesboro, Ga. to face conference rivals Georgia Southern at 6:00 p.m..
