ATLANTA — The Georgia State's women's basketball team (7-11, 2-4 SBC) dropped a 55-66 decision to the Georgia Southern Eagles (13-4, 6-1 SBC) on Wednesday night, despite a combined 43-point effort from Crystal Henderson, Ari Dyson and Cheyenne Holloman.
Henderson paced the Panthers with a team-high 17 points and three steals. Dyson followed with 14 points, while Holloman added 12 to round out the balanced scoring effort.
Defensively, Georgia State created opportunities throughout the contest, forcing 13 Georgia Southern turnovers that resulted in 16 points. Henderson led the charge on that end as well, recording a game-high three steals for the Panthers.
How It Happened
After taking an early 2-1 lead, Georgia State used a 5-0 run with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter to jump out to a 7-1 advantage. Georgia Southern responded by erasing the deficit, however, and the Panthers entered the second quarter trailing 12-9.
The Eagles extended their lead to 17-9 early in the second quarter before Georgia State answered with a 6-0 spurt to pull within 17-15. Georgia Southern regained momentum down the stretch and carried a 31-22 lead into halftime.
Georgia Southern opened the second half with a strong push, building its lead to 50-31 before the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run. A three-pointer from Kaleigh Addie highlighted the surge, trimming the deficit to 50-38 with 1:37 remaining in the third quarter. The Eagles closed the period on a run of their own, sending Georgia State into the fourth quarter facing a 57-38 deficit. The Panthers found success inside during the quarter, scoring 10 of their 16 points in the paint.
In the fourth, Georgia Southern stretched its lead to 59-38 before Georgia State mounted another rally, using a 7-0 run to cut the margin to 59-45 with 6:30 left. The Panthers continued to pressure defensively, converting five Georgia Southern turnovers into seven points in the final quarter, but the Eagles held on to secure the 66-55 victory.
Game Notes
» The Panthers shot well from three point range, knocking down five of 11 long range attempts.
» Crystal Henderson, Ari Dyson, and Cheyenne Holloman combined to account for 78% of the Panthers points.
» The Georgia State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Crystal Henderson led the Panthers with 17 points.
» Georgia State got a game-high eight rebounds from Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu.
Up Next
The Panthers remain home to host Appalachian State on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m.
