PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Mikyla Tolivert collected 20 points to help lead the Georgia State women's basketball team past the No. 12 seed Georgia Southern Eagles 70-64 at Pensacola Bay Center Thursday.
"Really proud of how our team came out and played today," said head coach Gene Hill. "I feel like we came out with a lot of energy in the first period, and we knew that Georgia Southern was going to fight back, but I feel like we did a good job of picking things back up in the second half."
The win gives GSU a 2-1 edge on the year over in-state rival Georgia Southern (16-18) after splitting the regular season with the Eagles.
The Panthers (16-15) had two players score in double figures, led by Tolivert, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Crystal Henderson added 16 points and two steals and Mahogany Matthews added eight points, two steals and three blocks.
Patience Williams pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Georgia State, grabbing 11 boards and turning them into six second chance points.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 4-2 advantage, Georgia State went on a 7-0 run with 7:16 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Tolivert, to increase its lead to 11-2. The Panthers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 20-15 advantage. Georgia State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 14 of its 20 points close to the basket.
Georgia State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 9:32 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Tolivert, to increase its lead to 26-15. The Eagles then came roaring back to take a 38-33 lead heading into halftime.
After intermission, Georgia State cut its deficit to 39-35 before going on a 12-0 run to grab a 47-39 lead with 4:47 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Eagles had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Panthers still entered the fourth quarter with a 53-50 edge. Georgia State took advantage of six Georgia Southern turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of takeaways.
Georgia State kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run to grow the lead to 67-59 with 34 seconds to go in the contest. Georgia Southern rallied one more time with a 9-1 run to pull within one with 1:22 remaining, but Mahogany Matthews drained a crucial three-pointer with 56 seconds left that gave GSU a four-point lead and helped the Panthers pull away for good.
The Eagles narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Panthers still cruised the rest of the way for the 70-64 win. Georgia State got up and down the court quickly in the quarter, scoring seven fast break points.
Game Notes
» The Georgia State defense forced 23 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Mikyla Tolivert led the Panthers with a game-high 20 points.
» Georgia State got a team-high nine rebounds from Mikyla Tolivert.
Georgia State (16-15) advanced to the fourth round and will face No. 5 seed Old Dominion on Friday, March 7 at 12:30 p.m.
