Hunter’s jumper lifts Georgia State to victory
Ron Hunter was OK, but then his eyes began to turn red and he stopped talking. But the silence lasted for just a few seconds.
“I’m proud of that dude right there,” he said, pointing to his son R.J., who sat in a chair nearby. “That’s a dad speaking.”
Ron Hunter had every reason to be after R.J. Hunter made a baseline jumper with 12 seconds left to lift Georgia State to a 73-72 win over Arkansas State on Thursday at the GSU Sports Arena.
“That’s just what we came here for,” R.J. said.
It was a frantic finish for both teams as the Panthers rallied from a seven-point deficit with 4 minutes, 10 seconds left.
Georgia State (11-6, 4-0) has won eight consecutive games, tying the second-longest win streak in school history, to remain the only unbeaten team in the Sun Belt. The Panthers will host Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday. Ron Hunter will coach in his bare feet as part of his annual efforts to assist the charity Samaritan’s Feet.
R.J. Hunter led the Panthers with 23 points, the last two on his final jumper. He said he had never hit a game-winning shot before, so he wasn’t sure how he’d feel or what to do.
“I almost started running to the locker room with 11 seconds left,” he said.
It’s a good thing he didn’t.
The Red Wolves had two chances to tie, including a layup with one second left that perhaps a father’s love kept from going in.
“That’s a great team win,” Ron Hunter said. “But as a father I’m happy for my son.”
Devonta White added 15, Ryan Harrow 11 and Manny Atkins 10 for Georgia State. The Panthers made 10 of 11 free throws, seeing their streak snapped at 38 when Curtis Washington missed one with 5:32 left. Georgia State, one of the nation’s better teams at keeping the ball, committed only six turnovers, compared with Arkansas State’s 12.
Still, even after building a 15-point lead in the first half, it appeared as if Georgia State was going to lose its first game at home this season, in front of a packed house no less, following three consecutive baskets by the Red Wolves (10-6, 3-2) late in the second half.
Former Georgia Tech player Brandon Reed made a 3-pointer, Cameron Golden recovered an air ball and put it in for a layup and Melvin Johnson had a breakaway dunk following a turnover by Washington to take a 69-62 lead in the final five minutes.
The Panthers fought back and cut their deficit to 71-69 on a 3-pointer by Hunter, who struggled with the shot to that point.
After an Arkansas State free throw, Harrow made a floating jumper to cut the gap to 72-71 with 1:37 left.
The teams traded possessions before Georgia State secured the ball and called timeout with 21.5 seconds left.
Harrow took the inbounds pass and moved toward the center before cutting left. He had the option to try to beat his man and get into the free-throw lane, or pass the ball.
He found Hunter, who elected not to try a 3-pointer from the wing. He was 3-of-9 from behind the arc. He instead cut left toward the baseline, where he rose up to a make a 15-foot jumper and send the crowd into a frenzy.
“At the end you couldn’t hear yourself think,” Ron Hunter said. “I rarely do this, but I looked up in the student section and said ‘This is why I came to Georgia State.’ There wasn’t a seat available.”
About the Author
