Jalen Finch scored 15 points, and Georgia Southern held Georgia State scoreless for a period of 13:01 in the first half on its way to a 58-52 Sun Belt men's basketball win over the Panthers Saturday afternoon in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Eagles of the Game
Finch shot 6 of 11 from the field and added three rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Andrei Savrasov collected 13 points and six rebounds. Tyren Moore tallied 10 points, three steals and two assists, and Kamari Brown registered seven points and seven rebounds.
Key Moments
Southern held State to two field goals in its first 20 shots of the game and after leading the contest 4-2, the Panthers failed to score for the next 13:01 of game time. Sparked by the stingy defense, Southern (12-9, 5-3) scored 19 straight points and opened a 21-4 cushion on a Finch layup with 6:05 left in the half. The Panthers finished the first half 5 of 26 from the field (19.2 percent) and trailed 34-16 at the break.
Finch and Moore hit triples as Southern started the second half with a 9-3 run to push the margin to 24 points, the largest of the game. The Panthers (9-11, 2-6) trailed by 14 points following a Finch jumper but scored seven straight to make the score 53-46 with 1:51 to go. State forced a turnover on Southern's next possession, but Collin Moore, who finished with a team-high 17 points, missed a triple from the wing.
Savrasov was fouled going to the hoop and made a free throw, and Evan Johnson missed a 3-pointer at the other end. Moore, Finch and Brown combined to make 4 of 6 from the charity stripe in the last 27 seconds to ice the victory.
Stats and Notes
- The win broke a three-game losing skid against the Panthers and was the Eagles' first win over State in Hanner Fieldhouse since Feb. 16, 2018, an 85-80 decision.
- The Eagles shot 50 percent in the first half but 26.9 percent in the second frame.
- Southern held a 20-2 edge in points off the bench.
- The Eagles held a +6 edge in turnover margin.
Next up
The Eagles open a four game road trip at Texas State next Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the contest will air live on ESPN+ and the GS Sports Network.