What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State could not overcome 33 percent shooting and fell to Arkansas State 75-69 in overtime on Thursday evening at the Convocation Center.
* Jeremy Hollowell led the Panthers with 15 points, including the first nine of the second half, but fouled out with just over seven minutes to play.
* Georgia State will close out its trip to Arkansas facing Little Rock on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
JONESBORO, Ark.-Despite leading for nearly the entire game, Georgia State fell to Arkansas State 75-69 in overtime on Thursday evening at the Convocation Center. Three Panthers finished in double figures, but Georgia State could not overcome shooting just 33 percent from the floor.
Georgia State (12-6, 5-4 Sun Belt) led by as many as 10 points in the first half and three with 23 seconds remaining before a pair of baskets by Arkansas State (10-10, 6-3 Sun Belt) forced Isaiah Williams to make one of two free throws with 7.8 seconds to send the game into overtime.
Redshirt-junior Jeremy Hollowell led the Panthers with 15 points while senior Kevin Ware added 14. Senior T.J. Shipes just missed his second double-double of the season with eight points and 11 rebounds.
On a night where both teams struggled offensively, it was the Red Wolves who got hot in overtime, scoring 18 points and going 5-of-7 from the floor in the extra frame. Arkansas State shot just 39.3 percent for the game after making just 24 percent in the first half.
Anthony Livingston led Arkansas State with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Devin Carter added 15. Charles Waters and Sean Gardner each finished with 13.
“We are obviously disappointed by the loss,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “We did what we needed defensively for most of the game, but too many open looks did not fall. You cannot expect to shoot 33 percent from the floor and to win. There are still a lot of games to play and I know this team will continue to improve.”
Georgia State opened the game missing its first six shots as Arkansas State took an early 7-4 lead with 15:17 to play in the first half.
The Panthers responded with a 13-0 run to take a 17-7 lead with 11:22 remaining, forcing seven Red Wolves turnovers in the first eight minutes.
Arkansas State answered with a 7-0 run to trail just 17-14 with 7:24 to play and got as close as two, 19-17, but could never overcome the Panthers' defense pressure that held the Red Wolves to just 2-of-12 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
Hollowell heated up in the second half, scoring the Panthers first nine points and 12 in the first eight minutes before having to sit with four fouls. He fouled out with just over seven minutes to play in regulation.
Trailing by nine, Arkansas State responded with an 8-0 run to cut Georgia State's lead to 41-40 with 8:43 remaining, but once again could not overcome the Panthers' defensive pressure as Georgia State pushed the lead back to seven on multiple occasions.
Arkansas State used the final minutes of the game to chip away at the lead before the Waters lay-up with 11 seconds to play gave the Red Wolves their first lead of the second half.
Senior Markus Crider finished with 11 points and five rebounds for the Panthers who uncharacteristically turned the ball over 19 times. Williams finished with nine points for Georgia State.
Georgia State will close out the road trip at first-place Little Rock on Saturday. The game will air live on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. ET.
