Henderson’s 31 Points Not Enough as GSU Women Fall to FIU 70-63

Freshman guard Taylor Henderson contributed a game-high 31 points and team-high 3 assists, but her efforts alone were insufficient to lift the Panthers above Florida International on Monday afternoon at the GSU Sports Area. Even coupled with senior center Shaquanda Miller-McCray’s impressive 20 rebounds and despite second-half adjustments, Georgia State’s team effort wasn’t able to get the job done and the Panthers fell by a score of 70-63

At one point, the Panthers trailed by as much as 22 points. In fact, Georgia State trailed most of the game but led briefly in the final period thanks to a three point shot by freshman Moriah Taylor before FIU regained the lead.

The Panthers shot only 22-64 from the field, good for 34.4%. Three-point performance was even worse, with only six makes from behind the arc to the tune of 24% efficiency. However, team performance with regard to rebounds was vastly improved compared to their opening game – 32 overall with 20 going, as previously mentioned, to center Miller-McCray.

Despite this renewed defensive effort, Florida International outperformed Georgia State in every stat category besides free throws. The Golden Panthers shot 51% from the field and 47.6% from behind the arc, and on the defensive side of the ball racked up 36 rebounds, 14 assists, 5 blocks and a pair of steals.

Moving forward, the freshman talent potential for Georgia State will be the driving force behind the Panthers’ efforts as they look to hit their stride before beginning conference play. Henderson appears to be the dominant force on this very young team, with Kamryn Dziak making a name for herself as well with good numbers in these opening few games.

In the official game press release, Georgia State’s Sports Communications office noted the following interesting stats:

• Henderson’s 31 points are good for the highest in a single game by a member of the Women’s Basketball program since 2007, when Kelcey Roegiers put up 33.
• Senior center Shaquanda Miller-McCray’s 20 rebounds is the best since 1994, when Lakiya Hayes commanded 23 against Florida Atlantic.

The Panthers still have some time to work out the kinks as their next game isn’t until November 20th when they make the short trip to Midtown to take on Georgia Tech. Tipoff against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 7:00pm at McCamish Pavilion.

Photo credit: Todd Drexler/Sideline Sports