GSU's defense comes back to life against James Madison

Georgia State found several things it had been missing in a 74-58 win against James Madison on Monday.

Coming off a two-game losing streak in which it had trouble stopping 3-pointers and using its defense to generate offense, the Panthers (14-6, 6-3) were able to do both against the Dukes (9-11, 2-7).

Perhaps most importantly the team had fun, something coach Ron Hunter said he wanted to see more than anything else after back-to-back close losses at Northeastern and at Delaware.

"We've been playing tight," he said. "We've been playing one-possession games. That happens, then you start playing tight. We've created expectations in a place that had no expectations. It's amazing we've created this. I want these guys to have fun."

The spark came from two players that Hunter said he needed to see more from on offense and defense: seniors James Fields and Josh Micheaux.

Fields tied a career-high with 21 points on a variety of aggressive drives and added three steals. Micheaux, who was benched before the Delaware game because opposing defenses simply didn't need to guard him, scored 15 more and added 11 rebounds, four on offense. He hadn't scored more than eight points in his previous eight games.

"Last few games I've been in a slump," Micheaux said. "I've been overthinking. One thing coach put on the board is ‘Go have fun.' "

Eric Buckner also continued his steady play, adding 13 points, eight rebounds and six of the team's 11 blocks. The trio ensured that the Panthers scored as many points as they had in Saturday's double-overtime loss at Delaware. They also kept pace in the competitive Colonial Athletic Association race as the conference hits the midway point. The Panthers will play at Drexel on Wednesday.

The fun started because of the defense, which forced 21 turnovers that the Panthers turned into 23 points.

"We wanted to share the basketball, but not with them," James Madison coach Matt Brady said.

Georgia State harassed the Dukes into 30.8-percent shooting from the 3-point line. The Panthers' previous two opponents averaged 47-percent shooting from the 3-point line.

"We were aggressive on defense," Hunter said.

The first half started similarly to the Panthers' past two games in which their opponents combined to hit 16 3-pointers.

This time, James Madison hit three quick 3-pointers to take a 21-13 lead. But the Panthers answered with a 14-0 run led by Fields and Micheaux.

The duo combined to score 12 of the next 14 points as Georgia State took a 27-21 lead. The Panthers forced six turnovers in the run. The Dukes, who were playing without injured point guard Devon Moore, a preseason second-team all-conference selection, committed 11 turnovers in the first half.

"Mental toughness won this game for us," Hunter said. "We were in a valley and you have to fight your way out of the valley. After the first 10 minutes of the first half, we started to grind it out."

The Dukes cut Georgia State's lead to 35-32 early in the second half, but the Panthers used a 12-1 run to seal the victory.