Georgia State wins 14th consecutive game

Devonta White scored a game-high 22 points to lead Georgia State to its 14th consecutive victory, a 68-57 win at Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday.

The Panthers (17-6, 10-0 Sun Belt) won despite R.J. Hunter, who leads the team in scoring, picking up his fourth foul less than a minute into the second half. He finished with 14 points, 6.2 below his season average.

In addition to White, the Panthers were sparked by freshman point guard Jaylen Hinton, who came up with three steals in the second half, and sophomore forward T.J. Shipes, who pulled down five offensive rebounds in the second half.

“Our bench has taken some criticism but our bench has done its role all year,” coach Ron Hunter said. “If not for our bench we don’t win this game.”

Hinton and Shipes contributed to a defense that limited the Trojans (12-11, 7-4) to one field goal during a 10-minute stretch in the second half. The Panthers also outrebounded the Trojans 41-35, the second consecutive game that Georgia State has “won” that category.

“The whole game we were really good defensively,” Hunter said. “That’s what kept us in it. You aren’t going to score 101 every night.

“When we need to lock you down we can.”

With the victory, Georgia State tied a school record for consecutive conference wins (10, set in 2000-01) and road wins (seven, set in 1999-2000).

Georgia State will go for its 15th consecutive win when it plays host to Texas State at 7 p.m. Thursday at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Panthers took control with a 12-2 run during that defensive stretch that lifted them to a 54-39 lead.

It was a similar outcome but much different game than the team’s first meeting in January at the Sports Arena. Georgia State jumped out to an early lead and ran away for a 99-73 win.

The Panthers hit just 40 percent of their shots in the second meeting, but limited Arkansas-Little Rock to 36.8-percent shooting.