ATLANTA – Patience Williams scored a career-high 18 points and Georgia State nearly overcame a 12-point fourth quarter deficit before falling 80-72 to Troy at the GSU Convocation Center on a snowy Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.
Williams led all Georgia State scorers and was one of four Panthers to reach double-figures. The junior from Minneapolis, Minn. topped her previous high of 11 points set against Elon in 2023, shooting 6-of-10 from the field with a team-high seven rebounds.
Mikyla Tolivert also scored in double-figures with 14 points, and Kaleigh Addie and Crystal Henderson scored 13 points each with Henderson adding four assists.
Georgia State's defense forced 29 turnovers which led to 26 points, but couldn't overcome a pair of 18-point performances each by Ashley Baez and former Panther Zay Dyer, who also grabbed a team-high 17 rebounds. Brianna Peguero also led the Trojans with 17 points and seven assists.
GSU (7-9, 1-4 Sun Belt) trailed 33-25 with 3:07 left in the second quarter when Williams hit three free-throws and drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two with 1:32 left. Tolivert then tied the game with a layup with 1:14 left, and then used a spin-move to give GSU a 35-33 lead with another layup with 40 seconds left in the period.
The score remained close until 3:39 left in the third when a jumper by Dyer sparked an 11-0 run that allowed Troy (10-7, 4-1 Sun Belt) to take the lead for good.
Down by 12 with 8:21 left in the game, the Panthers mounted a comeback as Crystal Henderson made a layup with two free throws, and Williams hit a jumper to pull within seven. Both teams made two free throws each before Tolivert hit a jump shot and Kaleigh Addie hit a three with 3:51 left to pull within two, but GSU would get no closer as the Trojans made their last four shots and eight free throws to close out the game.
Georgia State will travel to Conway, South Carolina to face Coastal Carolina on Thursday, January 16 at 11 a.m. The next Panthers home game is on Wednesday, January 22 against Coastal Carolina at the GSU Convocation Center. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, visit georgiastatesports.com/tix
