ATLANTA, GA -- The Georgia State men's basketball team fell short to the Georgia Bulldogs in a 61-65 home thriller on Wednesday night for the first exhibition game of the 2025-26 season.

Joah Chappelle and Jelani Hamilton led the Panthers in points, tallying 17 each, while Malachi Brown added 12 points.
From the glass, Ayouba Berthe, Christian Beam and Joah Chappelle each grabbed six total rebounds.

How It Happened:
The Panthers trailed the Bulldogs early and entered the half down 40-23.  

In the second half, a three-pointer from Malachi Brown sparked a 12-point run that ended in a slam dunk from Joah Chappelle with 8:37 left in the game. With the crowd on their feet, the Panthers closed the gap to five points and battled to the end, falling just four points short of the Bulldogs.

Game Notes:

• Joah Chappelle and Jelani Hamilton led the scoring with 17 points each.
• The Panthers snagged 15 offensive rebounds from the glass, leading to 13 second-chance points.
• The Panthers held the Bulldogs to a small 13.8% shooting percentage from the 3-point line.

The Panthers will play one more exhibition game next week before their first regular-season game at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 3.