Georgia State returned home Monday night after two back-to-back road losses in the CAA to Northeastern and Delaware. The Panthers came into the game hoping that some home-cooking at the Sports Arena would help them return to their winning form, and did it ever.
The Panthers thumped the Dukes 74-58, and coach Ron Hunter’s squad came out on a mission to fix the problems that plagued them on their road trip. The Panthers played uncharacteristically poor defense against Northeastern and Delaware, especially guarding three-point shooters. Against Northeastern, State gave up 11 threes and allowed the Huskies to shoot 52.4 percent from downtown. The Delaware game saw more of the same as the Blue Hens torched the Panthers making 12 threes and shooting 42.9 percent behind the arc.
Georgia State tightened up their on-ball defense against the Dukes only allowing them to shoot 30.8 percent from deep. Not only did the Panthers frustrate James Madison shooting the ball, but they also did a great job getting in passing lanes and playing big in the paint. Georgia State blocked 11 shots, stole the ball 14 times and forced the Dukes into 21 total turnovers. The Panthers were led by James Fields, who posted a game-high 21 points and filled out the rest of the stat sheet with eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. James Micheaux dominated off the bench posting 15 points, 11 boards and five assists. Center Eric Buckner controlled the paint with 13 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. The Panthers played a complete game both on the offensive and defensive ends. Their great defensive performance was best exemplified when they did not allow the Dukes to score a point from in a five-minute stretch midway through the second half.
Moving forward, the Panthers will need to replicate this performance if they want to get themselves back into the hunt for a conference championship. At 14-6 (6-3 in the CAA) the Panthers are currently fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association. They have nine more conference games to try and return to the top of the standings. This week they will take on Drexel on Wednesday and VCU Saturday.
Both teams are ahead of them in the conference standings so the Panthers can make up some serious ground with a pair of victories. The Panthers showed resilience in bouncing back after a pair of tough losses, something that can be credited to Hunter and how he has rapidly changed the culture of Georgia State basketball. Panther teams in the past would have been susceptible to a long losing streak and slipping into mediocrity, but this group has showed a lot of resolve all year and believes confidently that they can win every game.
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