Just when it seemed as if Georgia State had blown its chance to keep pace in the Colonial Athletic Association race, the Panthers rallied to defeat Northeastern 61-59 on Wednesday at the GSU Sports Arena.
Victory wasn’t secured until Joel Smith’s shot bounced off the rim, ending a frantic final few minutes that saw Georgia State’s weakness, free-throw shooting, almost cost it the win. But its second-biggest weakness, 3-point shooting, saved the day.
The Panthers improved to 9-5 in the CAA and kept alive their goals of winning 20 games and securing a top-four finish the conference, which comes with a bye in the first round of the tournament. Despite the drama of the game, coach Ron Hunter said he’s not ready to rest.
“We’re 17-8, 9-5 ... remember everybody saying if we could just win 12 games?” Hunter asked Devonta White and Josh Micheaux, who were sitting next to him at the postgame news conference. “We’re not satisfied. We’ve got a lot to do.”
The win came with some milestones: The 17th victory ties for the fourth-most in school history, and they set a school record for CAA wins. With two blocks in the game’s opening minutes, Eric Buckner became the school’s single-season leader, breaking the mark (81) set by Sylvester Morgan. He finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Micheaux and White added 13 points each, including an important 3-pointer by White that may have secured the win in a game that featured many ugly stretches.
“There’s no such thing as a bad win,” Hunter said. “Sometimes when you are playing a special season, you’ve got to be lucky. We were lucky tonight because we were at home.”
Trailing by as many as eight in the second half, the Panthers completed a rally when White made a 3-pointer with 1:42 left to give Georgia State 57-56 lead.
The Panthers pushed the lead to 60-56 on one of the odder sequences of the season. Northeastern’s Quincy Ford tried to drive the lane, where the Huskies had success in the second half. But Buckner blocked his shot. The ball bounced to James Fields, who streaked in for a layup. Trailing the play, Alwayne Bigby fouled White. The official counted Fields’ basket and sent White to the line. He made one of two shots to push the Panthers’ lead to four.
Jonathan Lee answered with a free throw and a jumper to cut the Panthers’ lead to one point, at 60-59, with 24 seconds remaining. Buckner was fouled on the inbounds play and made one of his two free throws, giving the Huskies a chance to tie or win.
But Ali stole the ball as Northeastern tried to feed the ball inside. He was fouled and missed both of his free throws, giving the Huskies another chance. However, Smith’s shot wouldn’t fall.
“Last possession of the game, I want to play defense because that’s our strength,” Hunter said. “That won us the game.”
The game shouldn’t have been close. Just as in their previous two games, the Panthers raced out to an early lead. Just as in their previous two games, the Panthers couldn’t extend the margin, allowing the Huskies to eventually take the lead in the second half. Hunter said it’s a sign of immaturity, but the fact they rallied when trailing late is a sign of growth.
“Tonight to me, our basketball program has turned a corner,” Hunter said. “When you can win games you aren’t supposed to win, that’s a sign you’ve got a good program. This was a conference tournament-type game.”
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