Panthers Beat App State for First Win of 2020
Georgia State (10-4, 3-0 in Sun Belt) got a balanced effort on offense, led by freshman Jalen Thomas’ career-high 14 points, and stellar defense to hang on for a 69-60 win over Appalachian State (8-6, 2-1 in Sun Belt) to ring in the new year and stay unbeaten in conference play. The Panthers forced 24 turnovers on the night and provided good contests all night, allowing App State to shoot just 36% from the floor and 22% from 3-point land. Thomas came off the bench for the first time in six games and scored his game-high total on 7-of-7 shooting, adding 6 rebounds. Junior guard Kane Williams played the part of provider to a T, dishing out nine assists to only one turnover. For App State, Adrian Delph led with 18 points.
Georgia State got off to a hot start, leading by as much as 13 in the first ten minutes and ultimately forcing the Mountaineers to commit 13 first-half turnovers. The Panthers used a 9-0 run to take a 40-23 lead into the locker room. The Georgia State lead got up to its highest, 57-38, with 12:33 left before junior guard Corey Allen committed three fouls, including a technical, in the span of nine seconds to foul out of the game. App State was able to take advantage of Allen’s absence and grind the game down to their tempo, forcing turnovers and putting together stops on defense to cut the deficit to 7 with a minute and a half left. But Georgia State made free throws late, the Mountaineers couldn’t get a basket when they needed it and the Panthers held on for the victory.
The Panthers stay on the road this weekend, battling the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in Conway, SC on Saturday. Tipoff is at 2pm EST.
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