Make it a dozen in one of the most unforgettable games in Georgia State’s history.
The Panthers needed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to send the game to overtime, but they set a school record with their 12th consecutive win, beating Texas-Arlington 101-91 on Saturday at the GSU Sports Arena.
The Panthers (15-6, 8-0) were led by R.J. Hunter, who finished 31 points, and Devonta White, who added 30 more, including the 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime. Georgia State improved to 8-0 at home this year and maintained its spot atop the Sun Belt Conference.
Georgia State will go for win No. 13 on Monday against South Alabama. The Panthers haven’t lost since Dec. 7 when Southern Miss defeated them in overtime.
In knocking off the Mavericks (9-12, 4-5), the Panthers beat the previous mark for consecutive wins set during Ron Hunter’s first season in 2011-12.
Led by Jamel Outler and Reger Dowell, Texas-Arlington had the hot hand, hitting 10 3-pointers to take a 43-35 lead into the half.
Lonnie McClanahan then picked up the points with layups as Texas-Arlington’s lead reached 16 early in the second half.
The Panthers looked panicked, uncharacteristically throwing away passes and looking out-of-sync on offense.
But then Georgia State’s defense started to create turnovers and the offense started clicking.
Hunter smartly drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with 5:47 left. He hit the free throws and followed that with a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 69 with 4:41 left.
Feeling the hot hand, Hunter followed that with a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Georgia State a 74-71 lead with 2:20 left. It was the Panthers’ first lead since Harrow scored the first basket of the game.
But the Mavericks weren’t done and took a two-point lead with 23.1 seconds left.
The Mavericks began to hit free throws and took a four-point lead.
Hunter answered with a 3-pointer to cut Georgia State’s gap to 80-79 with 5.5 seconds left.
Dowell hit two more free throws to give Texas-Arlington a 82-79 lead with five seconds left.
The Panthers called timeout three seconds left to draw up the inbounds play.
White, who missed a game-tying layup seconds earlier, got the ball on the wing and drilled the game-tying 3-pointer, holding his shooting stroke as the ball flew through the net.
Harrow iced the game in overtime with a steal. He flew down the court, spinning around one defender and before hitting a layup to give the Panthers a 93-87 lead with 1:21 left. They hit most of their free throws the rest of the way to seal the win.
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