Georgia State opened with a 15-3 run and never looked backed, beating UL Monroe 69-55 on Monday night at the GSU Sports Arena.
The Panthers. who led by as many as 20 points, are now 16-7 and next play at Appalachian State on Saturday.
5 things we learned from the victory:
1. Panthers stay tied for 1st: With their eighth straight victory, the Panthers remain tied for first place in the Sun Belt Conference. With seven games left, the league is still up for grabs, with Arkansas State and Georgia Southern only half a game behind the Panthers' 9-2 conference record.
2. The turnover battle: Over their previous two games, the Panthers coughed up 36 turnovers but still won both games. In this game, they fixed that issue by committing only five turnovers. They also forced 15 turnovers, with nine of those coming off steals. Those turnovers led to 21 points.
“We were able to force them into 15 turnovers, something UL Monroe never does,” GSU coach Ron Hunter said. “So we wanted to get in some pace up and down the floor and get them in some turnovers. I thought our defense was really active.”
3. Panthers find their 3-pointers: Georgia State hasn't hit double digit 3-pointers since their 20-point win against Coastal Carolina on Jan 21. With 11 3-pointers against ULM, the Panthers found their rhythm, a welcome development as they head deeper into conference play.
4. It was a block party: The Panthers aren't known for defensive play in the low post. They only average about three blocks a game. This tme, they blocked eight blocks from six different players. Willie Clayton led the team with three.
5. Starters didn't need the bench: The Panthers normally rely on bench play, but they didn't need much help Monday. Reserves scored just seven points while the starting five placed four players in double digits. Jeremy Hollowell had 19 points, followed by Malik Benlevi's 14, D'Marcus Simonds's 10 points and Williams' 11.
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