ATLANTA -- Georgia State rallied from a 21-point deficit with 10 minutes left to pull within four points, but the Panthers fell to James Madison 84-78 Wednesday at the GSU Convocation Center.

JMU, the second place team in the Sun Belt, won its ninth straight game to improve to 27-3 (14-3 Sun Belt). 

Five Panthers (13-16, 7-10) scored in double figures, led by Lucas Taylor with 18 points, and Jay'Den Turner with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Dwon Odom had 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Freshman big man Edward Nnamoko continued to show progress, equaling his career high with 11 points, along with four rebounds and a block. Toneari Lane added 12 points.

Georgia State concludes the regular season Friday against Marshall in a 7 p.m. game at the GSU Convocation Center on Senior Night. For tickets, visit GeorgiaStateSports.com. 

How It Happened

After falling behind 24-19, Georgia State used a 9-0 run to take the lead. A monster dunk by Taylor gave GSU a 34-29 lead with 4:59 left in the half, but James Madison managed to take a 46-42 advantage into the locker room.

The Panthers started slowly in the second half as JMU took a 55-44 lead at the 16-minute mark. The Dukes continued to extend their lead, going up 71-50 with 9:59 to play. But Taylor's 3-pointer ignited a 10-0 GSU run as the Panthers began to chip away. 

Georgia State still trailed 75-66 with under five minutes to go when Taylor nailed another trey. Then Odom made a pair of throws to bring the Panthers within 75-71 with 4:04 left. The teams continued to go back and forth, but Georgia State could get no closer.
 

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— GSU Men's Basketball (@GSU_MBasketball) February 29, 2024

Game Notes

» Leslie Nkereuwem scored the 1,000th point of his career, becoming the fourth member of this year's team to reach that milestone, along with Brenden Tucker, Jay'Den Turner and Dwon Odom.
» With 14 points, and 10 rebounds, Jay'Den Turner notched his fifth double-double of the season and 12th game with double-figure rebounds.
» Five Georgia State players scored 10 or more points.
» Georgia State turned the ball over just four times
» The Panthers went 29-for-32 at the free throw line, season highs for makes and attempts.
» Terrance Edwards, a leading candidate for Sun Belt Player of the Year, led JMU with 30 points.
 

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Congratulations Leslie Nkereuwem!#LightItBlue | #MORE | #Team60 pic.twitter.com/88FJo7Fl3O

— GSU Men's Basketball (@GSU_MBasketball) February 29, 2024