TROY, ALA. – Georgia State fell prey to the No. 5 NCAA scoring team, Troy, in an 89-78 loss Saturday in Troy.
The host Trojans (12-11, 7-7) got second and third chances with a 52-36 rebound advantage, shot 32 free throws to GSU's 19 and bombed in 11 3-point baskets for the game. Visiting Georgia State (9-14, 4-10) got more shots (75-68), while making more baskets (31-28), but those 13 points from the extra free throw attempts were the difference. Troy made 22-of-32 free throws and GSU 14-of-19.
GSU played in foul trouble most of the game. Junior forward Haley Gerrin scored 21 points in just 23 minutes on 9-of-14 shooting. She was assessed two fouls taking charges in the fourth quarter that the GSU coaches protested vehemently as she fouled out with four minutes left. Astaja Tyghter, Kennesha Nichols and Alaysia Mitchell all played with four fouls.
GSU freshman point guard Madison Newby had a season-high 14 assists and just three turnovers, while scoring 12 points today. Newby, who led the Sun Belt with 104 assists, upped that to 118 in 22 games. Freshman forward Astaja Tyghter proved 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Tatianna Jackson led with six rebounds to go with her nine points.
Troy senior leader Ashley Beverly Kelley, who leads the Sun Belt with 20.0 points a game, upped that today with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting. ArJae Saunders added 23 points with four 3-pointers.
GSU and Troy started their usual pattern of offensive shootouts with a 26-21 lead by Troy as the Trojans hit 5-of-10 from outside the arc in the first period. By halftime, the score grew to 41-27 as GSU could manage just six points on 3-of-18 shooting in that period. At halftime, Troy was 6-of-16 3-pointers and GSU was 0-for-10.
GSU came back strong in the third quarter and had closed back to eight points at 56-48 with 3:00 in the third. The Panthers started the fourth quarter by narrowing the score back to 68-58, but the rebounding, foul shooting and foul problems hindered a rally any closer.
GSU did outscore Troy in both the third and fourth quarters, but the disastrous six-point second quarter had made the hole too deep.
“They were getting too many extra chances on us and getting to the free throw line too much,” coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener said. “We had our open shots today, but we missed too many of them to overcome that rebounding. Haley Gerrin worked really hard today and we just didn't get the calls today at those big moments. Madison Newby ran what we wanted on offense and kept the defense in its changes today, too.”
Georgia State returns to Atlanta to face Little Rock on Thursday.
