No shoes, different shirts, different atmosphere, the same service.
Georgia State, led by the shoeless Ron Hunter and wearing new orange jerseys, used the defense that has made it one of the surprising teams in college basketball this season to defeat North Carolina Wilmington 75-61 in an unusually packed and raucous Sports Arena on Thursday. It was the Panthers’ 12th win in 13 games as they improved to 12-4, 4-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, tied for first place.
Hunter coached in his bare feet, and the team changed from white jerseys to honor the charity Samaritan’s Feet, which provides free shoes to needy children all over the world and uses orange in its logo. Hunter has coached one game each year without shoes for five consecutive years to assist the charity, but this was his first time doing so at Georgia State, which dubbed the game “Barefoot for Bare Feet.”
“This was an emotional night for me,” he said, for many reasons.
Almost 2,700 fans — the largest crowd since December 2008 — saw James Fields lead the Panthers with a career-high 21 points, including six consecutive during a game-changing stretch. Rashaad Richardson, whom Hunter said saved the team, added seven points in 13 minutes, his first extended playing time in four games.
But those fans, and the noise they generated, had coaches and players talking afterward. Hunter said it even affected Georgia State during a sloppy first half. He said his players came out as tight as they have all season. But he calmed them down at halftime, and they outscored the Seahawks by 14 in the second half to secure an 8-0 record at home this season.
“The whole atmosphere in the gym was just different,” Fields said. “You’re used to it on the road, but not at home. The atmosphere was wonderful.”
Hunter apologized after the game, saying he didn’t do a good enough job getting the team ready for the experience because his focus was divided between the game and his own emotions tied to the charity. He thanked the players afterward for picking him up.
“It’s probably the worst job I’ve done since I’ve been here,” he said. “Mentally, I just wasn’t there.”
The Seahawks seemed to check out after halftime. They shot 38.2 percent, the fourth consecutive opponent to shoot less than 40 percent against the Panthers. They also committed 18 turnovers, including 10 in the second half. The Panthers turned those turnovers into 26 points.
“The environment was totally different than it was last year,” Seahawks coach Buzz Peterson said. “They made it a tougher place to play. Commend them for what they’ve done. They’ve turned things around.”
Georgia State trailed 45-44 after Trevor Deloach made a 3-pointer, but answered with an 13-2 run to take a 57-47 lead with 7:19 remaining. The run started with a jumper by Fields, who added two free throws and a dunk. He finished with seven steals, four assists and three rebounds.
Hunter said he had a lively discussion with Fields at halftime, pushing him to play better.
“It was the best half I’ve seen him play, on both ends of the floor,” Hunter said.
Josh Micheaux followed Fields by hitting Eric Buckner with a backdoor pass for a dunk. Devonta White added a 3-pointer from the corner, and Tony Kimbro Jr. capped the run with a layup.
The Seahawks cut the lead to 57-49, but the Panthers used an 8-2 run to seal the victory.
“They carried me tonight,” Hunter said. “I will never forget hat. It was a tough night for me.”
