Aaliyah Baldwin
41
Toccoa Falls TF 0-2
84
Winner Georgia St. GSU 1-3,0-0 Sun Belt
Toccoa Falls TF
0-2
41
Final
84
Georgia St. GSU
1-3,0-0 Sun Belt
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Toccoa Falls TF 8 14 9 10 41
Georgia St. GSU 24 21 20 19 84

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball Dominates Toccoa Falls, 84-41, for Grayer's First Panther Victory

ATLANTA — Georgia State turned in its most complete performance of the young season Wednesday night, cruising to an 84-41 victory over Toccoa Falls at the GSU Convocation Center to give first-year head coach Marcilina Grayer her first win with the Panthers.

After coming up just short in several early-season contests, Georgia State (1-3) left little doubt against the Screaming Eagles (2-3), shooting a season-best 50.7 percent from the floor while forcing 27 turnovers and recording 21 steals, tied for the seventh-highest single-game total in program history.

"I'm happy about the win, especially our first one, super excited about that," said Grayer after the game. "There's obviously areas that we need to grow. And our biggest thing is just to continue to grow to get us ready for March. Every game we're trying to get one percent better. I thought that we do that in areas, but now it's just about putting it consistently together for a full game, a full 40, and that was our goal."

Junior Kenaya Klintman led a balanced offensive attack with 17 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. Sophomore Grace Lanier added 14 points and six steals, while Mariah Knight chipped in 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Ana Oliveira Dias contributed 10 points, five rebounds and five assists as four Panthers finished in double figures.

Georgia State dominated on both ends of the floor, outscoring Toccoa Falls 58-14 in the paint and dishing out 21 assists on 35 made field goals. The Panthers converted 27 turnovers into 38 points and held the Screaming Eagles to 41 points, their lowest total of the season.

Jada Wood paced Toccoa Falls with 21 points, while Riley Berninger added 12.

How It Happened
Georgia State established control early.

The Panthers scored the game's first six points and later used a 10-0 run to build a 24-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Georgia State forced nine turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, turning those miscues into 15 points.

Toccoa Falls responded early in the second quarter with a 6-0 run and trimmed the deficit to 27-20 after a 3-pointer by Berninger with 5:33 remaining in the half.

That would be as close as the Screaming Eagles would get.

Georgia State answered with an 18-2 run over the remainder of the second quarter to take a commanding 45-22 halftime lead. Klintman scored 10 first-half points, while Lanier added eight.

The Panthers continued to pull away after intermission. Following a brief Toccoa Falls run that cut the margin to 21 points, Georgia State closed the third quarter on a 13-0 surge and carried a 65-31 advantage into the final period.

The lead continued to grow in the fourth quarter as the Panthers put the finishing touches on the 43-point victory. In her third season at Georgia State, Frankee Payne made her GSU debut, connecting on a pair of three-pointers.

Georgia State will remain in Atlanta and travel across town Sunday for a 2 p.m. matchup against Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion on ACCNX.

Postgame Notes
  • Georgia State earned its first victory under first-year head coach Marcilina Grayer.
  • The Panthers have forced 93 turnovers through their first four games of the season.
  • Georgia State recorded 21 steals, tied for the seventh-most in program history.
  • The Panthers outrebounded Toccoa Falls 39-24 and held a 58-14 advantage in points in the paint.
  • Georgia State's bench outscored the Screaming Eagles' reserves 35-2.
  • The Panthers improved to 1-1 at the GSU Convocation Center this season.
  • Wednesday's game marked the first meeting between Georgia State and Toccoa Falls.
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