The Georgia State-Georgia Southern rivalry lived up to the hype Saturday, and the Panthers defeated the Eagles 72-67.
The Panthers found a way to finish strong, making five of their last six field-goal attempts and forcing the Eagles to miss nine of the final 11 shots. The Panthers finished the regular season with a 19-11 record (12-6 Sun Belt) while the Eagles fell to 18-13 (11-7).
Here are five things we learned from Saturday’s game:
1. Panthers clinch first-round bye: With the win, Georgia State clinched a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Because Arkansas State lost later Saturday, the Panthers secured the No. 2 seed. With the bye, the Panthers won't go to New Orleans until Wednesday, and will play their first game at 6 p.m. ET Friday against an opponent to be determined.
2. D'Marcus Simonds player of the game: In his first rivalry home game, freshman Simonds came up big and led the team with 21 points and five rebounds. Simonds scored only five points in the first half, and the Panthers were trailing at the half 32-28. Simonds came out in the second half in attack mode, scoring 16 points in the half.
“I thought (Simonds) came out in the second half and was tremendous,” coach Ron Hunter said. “He kind of put the team on his back. I love the kid. You can get after him, and he’s gonna comeback and prove it.”
3. Panthers dominate the glass: The biggest difference in this game was that the Panthers outrebounded the Eagles 45-21. The Panthers scored 14 second-chance points thanks to 11 offensive rebounds; the Eagles had only one second-chance point. The rebounding was a team effort, as more than four players had more than five rebounds each. Jeremy Hollowell led the team with 12 rebounds and Willie Clayton had 10.
4. New lineup pays off: The Panthers went with a starting lineup they hadn't used this season. Jeff Thomas got the start, as well as Isaiah Dennis, joining Simonds, Hollowell and Clayton. Thomas' starting role paid off, as he scored 16 points and went 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Devin Mitchell took Thomas' spot coming off the bench and scored eight points, including two 3-point shots made.
“In the beginning of the last four games we’ve started slowly,” Hunter said. “Jeff is a really good offensive player, and that’s why we put him in there, and it’s really paid dividends. We need Jeff. Jeff can come in and get big points. His 3-point shooting just really opens up the floor.”
5. Panthers survive despite turnovers: It is extremely rare for a college basketball team to come out with a win when it commits 20 turnovers. The Eagles made the Panthers pay for those turnovers, scoring 21 points off of them. The Panthers forced only 11 turnovers. If the Panthers want to get back to the Sun Belt championship, they probably will need stop turning the ball over.
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