Georgia State defeated IUPUI 78-72 in overtime Friday night at the GSU Sports Arena.
This was a game that the Panthers (3-1) should have won easily. Not only were they playing at home, where they have won 27 of their 28 previous games, but they were playing an IUPUI team coming off recent losses to Kennesaw State and South Alabama.
Jeremy Hollowell and Kevin Ware each scored 18 points to lead the Panthers.
The Panthers took a 54-45 lead, only for IUPUI to go on a 9-0 run and tie the score at 54-54 with 5:18 left. The lead changed hands several times until Marcellus Barksdale made a 3-pointer from the wing to give IUPUI a 62-59 lead with 1:19 left. T.J. Henderson made both free throws in a one-on-one to push the Jags’ lead to 64-59 with 39.2 seconds left.
Georgia State cut the deficit to one on a layup by Isaiah Williams with 17 seconds left. Barksdale missed the first of two free throws with 9.1 seconds left, giving Georgia State a chance to tie.
Williams drove and drew the foul with 1.2 seconds left. He made both free throws to tie the score at 67-67.
“Isaiah Williams won the game for us,” coach Ron Hunter said.
It was bittersweet result for Hunter, who coached IUPUI for 17 seasons before agreeing to come to Atlanta before the 2011-12 season.
He referenced a few times that IUPUI’s coaches and players knew exactly what Georgia State was going to do because he hasn’t changed anything since he left.
“It was like a mirror,” he said.
Of course, Hunter also said Georgia State did no prep for the game because they played Ole Miss on Wednesday, Thanksgiving was Thursday and the game was Friday.
“A great character win,” he said.
Here are five observations from the game:
Free throws. Having made 60.3 percent of their free throws this season entering the game, Georgia State made 71.4 percent Friday, including four in the final 35 seconds of regulation when the Panthers needed every point. T.J. Shipes added one in overtime that hit the rim, soared into the air and hit the rim again before falling through to give the Panthers a four-point lead with 1:03 left in overtime.
Williams said he wasn’t nervous when he was at the line for his two free throws, saying it was a situation they work on in practice.
Flow on offense. When the starters were on the floor there were times that the offense just stopped because no one could get open. As a result, it would force Ware to shoot a jumper, which isn't his strength, or Hollowell to rush a jumper or try to force something with a drive as the shot clock neared zero. Sometimes the Panthers would be fortunate, such as when Markus Crider made a short banked jumper at the buzzer after Isaiah Dennis lost the ball going up for a shot to give Georgia State a 72-69 lead in overtime. Other times, they weren't, such as when a rushed pass split two Georgia State players and went out of bounds.
Hunter didn’t agree that Georgia State’s offense is out of synch, saying that if the offense was good this early in the season they’ve got nowere to go but down.
Hunter said he thought the team was better on offense at this point this season than they were last season. He said he think the players are trying to play too fast, which leads to mistakes.
Defense into offense. The Panthers didn't have much luck at turning defense into offense, something that they have relied on the past few seasons to supplement their scoring. Though Georgia State forced 19 turnovers, IUPUI played very good transition defense, which limited Georgia State to just 11 points off turnovers. IUPUI scored 25 points of 22 Georgia State turnovers.
3-point offense. The Panthers actually are as prolific a 3-point shooting team this season as they were last season with R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow, averaging five made shots per game. They started to find their range in the second half against IUPUI. Jeff Thomas made one from the wing, and Hollowell added another to boost the Panthers to a 44-35 lead with 14:09 left. Georgia State made 4 of 11 in the game.
3-point defense. Unlike Georgia State's other opponents in this young season, IUPUI had no trouble making 3-pointers against Hunter's zone defenses. The Jags drilled six (of 12 attempted) in the first half, as many as Ole Miss made in the entire game. The shots kept falling in the second half and overtime, with the Jags making 4 of 10, usually from the corner or the wing, which kept them in the game.
About the Author
