It was the same refrain for the Georgia State basketball team on Thursday, as the Panthers continued to suffer from offensive droughts, lost their third straight and remained winless on the road.
Appalachian State scored the first seven points of the game and used a 15-0 streak midway in the first half en route to a 71-59 win over the Panthers in Boone, N.C. Georgia State is now 0-7 away from home.
“We’re absolutely taking our lumps right now, but we’re going to learn from this, we’re not going to hang our heads,” GSU coach Jonas Hayes said. “We’re going to get back, immerse ourselves in the process and we’re going to learn from all these experiences.”
Georgia State (9-12, 2-7 Sun Belt) got a good all-around effort from Jamaine Mann, who had 16 points and eight rebounds, two assists and one block. Brenden Tucker scored 11, Collin Moore scored 10 points with three streals, and Ja’Heim Hudson had eight points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Dwon Odom returned after missing two games because of personal reasons and produced six points and three assists.
“We’re going to keep kicking and we will not stop and one of these days we’re going to kick the door off the hinges,” Hayes said.
Appalachian State (12-10, 5-4) was led by Terence Harcum with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Donovan Gregory, the team’s preseason all-Sun Belt pick, had 16 points and seven rebounds. Christopher Mantis scored 14.
The Mountaineers evened the career series at 20-20 and avenged last season’s second-round Sun Belt Tournament loss.
Appalachian State shot 57% in the first half and scored 18 points in the paint while taking a 42-27 lead. The Panthers, trailed by as many as 16, but were able to get within nine points with 3:11 left on a steal and dunk by Tucker. The Mountaineers closed the half on a 9-3 flurry and led by 15.
“We got some pretty good looks, a couple of shots right at the rim that stayed out,” Hayes said. “We’ve got to stay consistent with our approach. We had some inexplainable turnovers, which didn’t help our cause, quite a few of them in the first five or six minutes of the game.”
Georgia State trailed by 18 with 12:07 left but managed to get as close as nine points on three occasions. App State kept the Panthers at arm’s length by going 9-for-10 at the line in the final 4:15.
The Georgia State defense held Appalachian State without a field goal in the final 7:42, but could not muster enough offense to threaten the Mountaineers.
“One thing I like about this group is they don’t like to lose,” Hayes said. “We’ve got to stay with it, stand fast and get better.
Georgia State completes its four-game road trip on Saturday against Marshall.
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