Panthers Surge Late to Beat Coastal 71-68
Jalen Thomas looks at the rim before attempting a free throw during the 2019 season. Photo: Jordan Crawford of THERSdayNight.com
Georgia State (8-2, 2-1 in Sun Belt) scored the final eight points of the game on Saturday to defeat Coastal Carolina (9-3, 3-2 in Sun Belt) 71-68 in the Panthers’ first game in 13 days following the postponement of last week’s road trip to Troy due to Covid-19 issues within the team. After a fastbreak dunk by Essam Mostafa gave the Chanticleers a 68-63 lead with 2:50 left in the game, the Georgia State defense held Coastal scoreless for the rest of the game. After an Eliel Nsoseme layup and a pair of Corey Allen free throws cut the Chants’ lead to 1, a Nsoseme layup gave Georgia State the lead, 69-68, with under a minute to play. After a Garrick Green three rimmed out, Corey Allen hit a step-back jumper to push the Panthers’ lead to 71-68 and DeVante Jones couldn’t connect on a game-tying three-pointer with under five seconds to play, sealing the Georgia State comeback win.
Corey Allen’s 15 points was a team-high for the Panthers. Justin Roberts and Collin Moore each added 14 points. Jalen Thomas provided a sturdy anchor in the middle of the paint, pairing 4 steals and a block with his 12 points and 3 assists. Eliel Nsoseme returned for his 1st action since the game versus the College of Charleston and scored 6 and brought down 10 rebounds. The Panthers were without starting guard Kane Williams.
Coastal Carolina was led on offense by Deanthony Tipler. He hit 7 threes, which accounted for all of his game-high 21 points. DeVante Jones added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Essam Mostafa had 11 points and 5 boards of his own. The game was a physical and chippy affair which included 28 personal fouls and one Coastal Carolina technical foul. Both teams struggled with ball control, combining for 31 turnovers. Georgia State committed 16 turnovers to Coastal’s 15.
Coastal Carolina led for most of the first half, but after a DeVante Jones 3 extended their lead to 33-22 with 4:15 remaining in the half, Georgia State used a blistering 14-2 run in the final four minutes of the half to take a 36-35 halftime lead. Collin Moore and Justin Roberts hit three three-pointers and the Panthers stifled the Chanticleers’ offense, forcing four turnovers and holding the Chanticleers to just two points in the final minutes of the half.
The Panthers got off to a much hotter start in the second half, going on an 8-2 run to begin the period, but Coastal would match the Panthers’ energy and would eventually retake the lead with 13:06 in the half. The Chanticleers would hold that lead until a Jalen Thomas jumper tied the game at 62 apiece with 5:18 on the clock.
After the game, Georgia State head coach Rob Lanier called the game the “best win of the year for us”, highlighting the difficulties of navigating the past two weeks – with no practice or meeting time between players due to Covid-19 protocols.
The Panthers head back on the road next week as they head over to Boone, North Carolina to face the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Both games will be on ESPN+ and tip-off on Friday and Saturday is at 6pm EST and 4pm EST respectively.
