CULLOWHEE, N.C. - After leading by as many as 14 points in the first half and leading 61-60 with 5:56 to play, Georgia State saw host Western Carolina score the final 14 points to claim a 74-61 win Saturday at the Ramsey Center.
GSU and WCU had battled through 13 lead changes and nine ties in a see-saw battle. The decisive spurts were similar at the end of both halves. GSU led 32-22 with 2:56 in the first half and WCU closed with a 13-2 run to take a 35-34 halftime lead. Then, with the 5:56, WCU erased the GSU lead with the 14-0 run.
The key points were at the free throw line where host WCU shot 28 and made 18, while the visitors only got to shoot 11 and made 8. GSU point guard Alisha Andrews had three fouls the first half and fouled out, while three other players persevered with four fouls. Andrews did have 10 assists in her 29 minutes of action.
GSU (0-5) got 15 points from guard Kendra Long and 12 from guard Gaby Moss. Brittany Logan added nine points and six rebounds. Ashlee Cole added nine points and six rebounds off the bench.
WCU (2-3) had four players in double figures with Lindsay Simpson leading with 17 points, including 4-of-7 beyond the 3-point arc. Forward Shauna Terry added 12 points and eight rebounds.
It marked the fourth time of the five games this season Georgia State has lost a double-digit lead to lose a game.
GSU started quickly with a 14-4 run in the first four minutes of the game. The visiting Panthers jumped it to 12 points after 10 minutes at 21-9. GSU continued a double-digit lead for the next five minutes, growing the margin as large as 14 points at 29-15 with 5:18 in the first half. WCU made 6-of-7 3-point baskets in the last five minutes of the first half to take its first lead of the game at 35-34 going into halftime.
In the second half, Georgia State got the lead on a 3-point by Moss to start the half and had a three-point lead at 44-41 through the first four minutes. GSU led at 51-50 at 11:13 and was tied at 54 and 56 as the teams approached the eight-minute mark. Kendra Long's old-fashioned three-point play gave the Panthers a 59-56 lead at 7:12. Moss' jumper at 5:56 gave GSU the lead again at 61-60 and proved to be GSU's last basket.
WCU ended with a 39-36 rebound advantage and blocked six GSU shots. WCU shot 52 percent in the second half on 13-of-25 and made 11-of-17 free throws. GSU shot 45 percent the first half and 41 percent for the game to go with 73% from the free throw line (8-of-11).
Georgia State finally comes home for a week and has three games in the Sports Arena over Thanksgiving week. The Panthers play host to Belmont on Nov. 26 in a rare noon start. This year's Thanksgiving Tournament will be played on Friday and Sunday, Nov. 29 and Dec. 1. GSU starts with Jacksonville State on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m., while Georgia and George Washington play at 4:15 p.m. The consolation game Sunday starts at 12:30 p.m. and the championship game at 2:30 p.m..
The Sunday Dec. 1 game will be the last home game for the Panthers until Jan. 1.
