Four games in eight days. With final exams looming next week.
Four wins during that same stretch. Each by at least 20 points.
Georgia State men's basketball coach Ron Hunter said he couldn't be more proud.
The Panthers swept the week's worth of games, capping the run with a 66-34 victory over William and Mary on Saturday at the GSU Sports Arena. The victory was not only the Panthers' first win in their first Colonial Athletic Association game, it extended their win streak to six, the longest since winning seven consecutive in 2003-04.
"With all of our games this week, we were barely able to get in a normal practice, but showed up for every game," Hunter said. "To put forth this type of effort today is incredible.”
As they've done in each game of the streak, the Panthers' defense simply wore down William and Mary (1-8, 0-1). The Tribe missed 35 of its 47 shots, including 16 of its 21 3-point attempts, for a 25.5-percent success rate. In the first half, William and Mary had four field goals, all from behind the 3-point line.
The Tribe was a high school-like 0-of-11 from inside the arc with one free throw during the opening 20 minutes as Georgia State easily built a 32-13 lead.
The Panthers (6-3, 1-0) just missed setting a school record for fewest points allowed. The 34 points were the second-fewest, next to the 33 allowed against Howard in 2009-10. William and Mary finished with more turnovers (18) than field goals (12).
"We just knew that this game was one of the biggest games of the season with it being our first conference game," said Jihad Ali, who led all scorers with 17 points. "Out of all the games we wanted this game."
Georgia State's defense, which switched between various presses and an aggressive 2-3 zone, was especially good at neutralizing Quinn McDowell, a preseason all-CAA selection. He made just two of his 10 attempts, including one of his four 3-pointers.
"He's a great player," Ali said. "We just tried to limit his effectiveness."
The Tribe came out firing in the second half, cutting Georgia State's lead to 14 with 15:52 left. But the Panthers cranked up a press again, using its defense to fuel its offense to a 42-22 lead on a Josh Micheaux-to-James Vincent dunk a few minutes later.
The Panthers were denied the scoring record when Matt Rum made a spinning layup that was well-defended with 3:30 remaining. By then the Panthers were leading by 25. It was the Tribe's last points in the game.
During its win streak, Georgia State is limiting opponents to an average of 30.7-percent shooting and 47 points per game.
"Well, I'm the defensive coach," Hunter joked. "No, it's these kids. They come from a great defensive background, and we installed our system into it. They believe in it."
