The spark for Georgia State’s nine-game winning streak didn’t start with the first victory. It occurred during a loss.
During the second half of the 75-65 loss overtime to Southern Miss on Dec. 7, Manny Atkins said the Panthers realized that they could be really good.
“We had to fight against the refs (and) the team, and the whole atmosphere was just wild,” Atkins said. “Everybody came together, and we fought. We should have come out with a win. I was like, ‘OK, if we come out and play like that the whole game there’s no way we can get beat.’”
The Panthers (12-6, 5-0) will go for their 10th consecutive victory at high-scoring Louisiana-Lafayette (12-6, 3-2) on Thursday. If they win, they not only will keep their two-game cushion atop the Sun Belt, but they also will have a chance to tie the school record for consecutive victories (11) at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
Georgia State’s confidence was damaged during the season’s opening stretch of games. The Panthers lost six of their first nine, capped by the loss to the Eagles. They fought back from 11 points down with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation, only to see Southern Miss make a throw-it-up 3-pointer with seven-tenths of a second left to force overtime.
“We gave the game away,” coach Ron Hunter said. “From that point, we’ve been talking about finishing practicing, finishing halves, finishing games. We’re at this point now where we want to finish the season.”
To keep finishing well will require improvements in rebounding and defense, according to Hunter.
The Panthers have been out-rebounded by almost six per game, but are overcoming that deficit by making free throws (76.8 percent) and limiting turnovers (plus-5.9 margin per game).
Curtis Washington said two weeks ago that he can improve his rebounding. After not playing competitively for more than two years because of an injured shoulder and the NCAA’s transfer rules, he said that he still sometimes watches the play around him rather than throws himself into the action.
He seems to be coming around. He grabbed six rebounds and scored 13 points in 14 minutes in Saturday’s 99-73 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock.
The Panthers have limited opponents to 68.7 points per game and 42-percent shooting during the win streak. The points are slightly higher than the goal of 60 per game, but Hunter doesn’t seem to mind.
He said that the victory proves that they are mature. After starting the game in a man-to-man defense that the Panthers had no problem beating, the Trojans switched to a zone. It was the same type of defense that Arkansas State used to befuddle the Panthers for most of Thursday’s game until R.J. Hunter made a jumper with 11.1 seconds left to secure the 73-72 victory.
No game-winner was needed against Arkansas-Little Rock. After the Trojans switched to a zone, the Panthers didn’t hoist up long jumper after long jumper as they did against Arkansas State. Instead, they ran the offense with Devonta White and Ryan Harrow following the plan and frequently getting into the free-throw lane to disrupt the Trojans’ defense.
“I really like the maturity of this basketball team,” Ron Hunter said. “I really, really love the maturity of where our guys are at this year.”
They will need that maturity, improved defense and some rebounding against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Cajuns are unbeaten at home and have averaged a league-leading 83.6 points per game this season. They are led by a pair of scorers in 6-foot-9 forward Shawn Long (20.8 points per game) and 6-3 point guard Elfrid Payton (19.7).
“We are trying to play for a championship; we all want rings,” Atkins said. “If everybody stays on the same page, it won’t be that hard (to keep winning).”
