Game Recaps

“That’s no 16 seed,” the words of Gonzaga coach Mark Few about Georgia State, who made his Zags battle all the way in their 93-72 first-round win in the 2022 NCAA Tournament in Portland, OR.

Georgia State’s tenth straight win was the sweetest, as they outlasted Louisiana in the second half to win the Sun Belt championship game 80-71 and earn the Sun Belt’s autobid in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

363 days ago, Georgia State came up short in the Sun Belt title game against Appalachian State, losing 80-73 and missing out on the league’s autobid to the NCAA Tournament. As fate would have it, the teams met again in the conference tournament semifinals and the Panthers avenged last year’s loss with a 71-66 win to punch their ticket for the Sun Belt championship Monday night against Louisiana.

Georgia State followed the March mantra of “Survive and advance” to a T in their first game of the Sun Belt tournament, escaping with a 65-62 win over the 6-seeded Arkansas State.

It was happy scenes in the GSU Sports Arena as Georgia State went out winners in the last game in the Panthers’ home since 1973, coming back from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Louisiana 65-58.

First-half lethargy made way for an offensive explosion in the second half for Georgia State, where they scored 46 points and turned a one-point halftime lead into a convincing 82-70 win over ULM.

It wasn’t easy and at times it didn’t look likely, but after closing the game on a 17-3 run, Georgia State escaped Statesboro with a 58-49 win over their rivals Georgia Southern and completed the season sweep.

Georgia State saved their best performance of the season for their bitter rivals Georgia Southern, burying them in the second half and running away with a 79-63 win.

Georgia State completed their Carolina sweep this weekend with a 58-49 victory over the Sun Belt-leading Appalachian State Mountaineers. The Panthers led almost the entire way, taking a 12-point advantage into the intermission, even extending the lead up to 14 at one point in the second half.

Georgia State has been making stingy defense a calling card of theirs as they’ve battled back from an 0-4 start to Sun Belt play, and that trend continued in tonight’s smothering 61-50 victory over Coastal Carolina on the road.