Georgia State knew Elon that was going to fire 3-pointer after 3-pointer in Tuesday’s game.
Still, the Panthers could do nothing to stop them in what is becoming a problem this season.
The Phoenix hit 15 3-pointers to pull away from Georgia State 90-85 in the Panthers’ last game in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Elon was hitting 42 percent of its 3-pointers coming into the game. They hit 62.5 percent against the Panthers (2-4), who were allowing opponents to hit 43 percent of those shots this season. It marked the fifth time this season an opponent hit at least 10 3-pointers against Georgia State.
“That’s their game and we are still trying to find ourselves defensively,” coach Ron Hunter said.
The loss wasted a fine night from Ryan Harrow, who scored 34 points. Curtis Washington added 17 points and Manny Atkins 13 more.
R.J. Hunter and Devonta White continued to struggle. Hunter scored nine points and White scored just three, one point more than he scored in Monday’s 79-71 loss to Canisius.
Unlike in the previous losses in which they couldn’t hit 3-pointers, the Panthers filled it up against Elon. Hunter and Atkins hit three each as the Panthers hit 10 of 17.
But Elon matched them 3-pointer for 3-pointer.
None were bigger than Sebastian Koch’s 3 with 1:48 left. Hunter’s 3-pointer cut Elon’s lead to 81-79 with 2:24 left. But no one boxed out Koch, whose basket pushed the Phoenix’s lead to five.
Georgia State cut it back to two, 84-82, on a three-point play by Harrow with 1:34 left.
Lucas Troutman tipped-in a miss to give Elon an 86-82 lead with 33 seconds left.
The Panthers cut the lead to three on a Harrow free throw with 28 seconds left. Harrow missed the second but Markus Crider grabbed the rebound, giving the Panthers a chance to tie the game.
But Georgia State had trouble inbounding the ball. It eventually found its way to Rashaad Richardson, who missed the game-tying 3-pointer.
“That’s the little plays that we aren’t making,” Hunter said.
That was as close as the Panthers would get.
Hunter said he wasn’t upset with the loss because he thought the players responded well after their poor performance against Canisius. Hunter said he didn’t recognize the team that lost that game.
He pointed out that Elon was picked to win the Southern Conference.
“I feel better today than I felt yesterday, that’s for sure,” Hunter said.
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