CANCÚN, Mx. --Micah Tucker scored 21 points and Malachi Brown added 17 more, but the Panthers fell to the Samford Bulldogs 78-63 at Hard Rock Cancun Tuesday.

Tucker led the Panthers with 21 points. Brown added 17 points and two steals and Jakai Newton helped out with 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Tucker pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead the Georgia State offense which grabbed 16 boards and turned them into 17 second chance points.

The Georgia State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Tuesday's game, forcing 14 Samford turnovers while committing 10. Those takeaways turned into 17 points on the other end of the floor. Newton's three steals led the way individually for the Panthers.

How It Happened

After falling behind 32-22, Georgia State went on a 5-0 run with 4:37 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Brown, to narrow its deficit to 32-27. The Panthers deficit remained the same as they entered halftime trailing 37-32.

Samford kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 60-46 advantage before Georgia State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Brown's three, to shrink the deficit to 60-51 with 3:48 to go in the contest. Samford responded and outscored the Panthers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 78-63. Georgia State capitalized on seven Samford turnovers in the period, collecting 10 points off those turnovers.

Game Notes

» Micah Tucker, Malachi Brown, and Jakai Newton combined to account for 76 percent of the Panthers points.
» The Georgia State defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game.
» Micah Tucker led the Panthers with a game-high 21 points.
» Georgia State got seven rebounds from both Joah Chappelle and Jakai Newton.

The Panthers close out the Cancun Challenge against New Mexico State on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 3:00 p.m. ET.