ATLANTA -- The Georgia State men's basketball team went into the halftime break tied with Marshall 38-38, but took control in the second half to defeat the Thundering Herd 81-73 at home Saturday.

"I want to give Marshall a boatload of credit for coming in with a ton of physicality," head coach Jonas Hayes said. "But at the end of the day, we have to protect our home. It was a physical and emotional game, but our guys stepped up in a massive way and I couldn't be more proud."


The Panthers had five players score in double figures, led by Jelani Hamilton, who had 23 points and four steals. Jakai Newton tacked on 13 points and seven rebounds from the bench and Micah Tucker helped out with 13 points.

Georgia State also won the rebounding battle 43–35, paced by Christian Beam's eight boards. The Panthers also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second chance points.

Georgia State forced 17 Marshall turnovers while committing 14 themselves in Saturday's game. The Panthers turned those takeaways into 18 points on the offensive end of the floor. Hamilton's four steals led the way for Georgia State.

How It Happened

After falling behind 36-29, Georgia State went on a 9-0 run with 1:57 left in the first half to take a 38-36 lead. Marshall responded to tie things up at 38-38 heading into halftime. Georgia State saw the bench step up in the first half, as non-starters registered 10 of its 38 total points.

Marshall then snagged a 69-61 advantage before Georgia State responded by going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Hamilton's layup, to seize a 70-69 lead with 2:23 to go in the contest. The Panthers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 81-73 win to upset the Thundering Herd. Georgia State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 22 of its 43 total points.

Marshall built a seven-point lead midway through the second half, going up 69–61 with 6:13 remaining, before Georgia State flipped the game with a closing surge. The Panthers went on a 13–2 run over the next two minutes, highlighted by baskets from Micah Tucker and Jakai Newton, to take a 69–68 lead with 4:20 left  The Panthers continued to pressure Marshall defensively down the stretch, forcing turnovers and getting to the foul line to extend the margin. Georgia State finished the game with 19 second-chance points and 26 points in the paint, capitalizing on offensive rebounds and interior scoring. 
 

Game Notes

» Georgia State outscored Marshall 43-35 in the second half after a halftime tie to pick up the victory.
» The Georgia State bench came alive by scoring 32 points to its scoring output.
» Five Georgia State players scored 10 or more points.
» Jakai Newton and Christian Beam came off the bench to score 13 and 11 points, respectively.
» Georgia State had a 37-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Georgia State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Jelani Hamilton led the Panthers with a game-high 23 points.
» Georgia State got a team-high eight rebounds from Christian Beam.

The Panthers enjoy an off week before hitting the road to Monroe, La., for a weekend faceoff against ULM on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET.