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Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kalik Brooks

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Corey Allen

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Corey Allen

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Damon Wilson

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kalik Brooks

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Collin Moore

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Men's Basketball 2/11/2021 9:02:00 PM

#StateNotSouthern: Panthers Take Down In-State Rival Eagles 79-75

Box Score ATLANTA-Eliel Nsoseme recorded his third double-double of the season, Corey Allen knocked down two free throws with 8.3 seconds to play and Georgia State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-75 win over Georgia Southern on Thursday night at the GSU Sports Arena.

Nsoseme, who entered the game averaging a double-double for the season, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while redshirt-junior Justin Roberts scored a team-high 21 points, including a huge jumper with 39.5 seconds to play to give Georgia State (9-5, 3-4 Sun Belt) a lead it would not relinquish.

Georgia Southern (12-10, 6-7 Sun Belt) was led by Zack Bryant who scored 21 points, but the Eagles couldn't get a stop in the final 30 seconds and were forced to foul where the Panthers went 6-of-6 from the free throw line to end the game.

Allen finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, knocking down 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, the second one with 3:40 to play that gave the Panthers a one-point lead.

Kane Williams once again filled up the box score with 13 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while sophomore Jalen Thomas added eight points and six rebounds.

As just six scholarship players played significant minutes due to COVID-19 protocols, sophomore Kalik Brooks came off the bench to play a career-high 18 minutes, grabbing three rebounds and dishing off three assists, both career-highs.

Georgia Southern got off to a quick start as Gedi Juozapaitis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game as the Eagles knocked down treys on their first four possessions to take a 12-4 lead two minutes into the game.

Georgia State quickly responded and using an 8-0 run, including six-straight from Nsoseme, took a 27-22 lead with 8:22 to play in the opening half.
After hot shooting starts, both teams cooled with the Eagles going into the locker room with a 42-38 lead despite the Panthers holding a plus-5 advantage on the boards.

The Panthers trailed by as many as six for the first part of the second half before a Roberts' 3-pointer with 11:42 to play cut the Eagles' lead to just 57-55. A possession later Roberts' tied the game on a fast break lay-up, the first time GSU didn't trail since 7:32 to play in the opening half.

After the Eagles went up by as many as three again, Allen knocked down two of his three 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the Panthers a 69-68 lead going into the final media timeout of the game.

Thomas gave the Panthers the lead, 71-70, with 1:13 to play, but Bryant immediately responded as the Eagles went back ahead with just under a minute remaining.

From there, the Panthers took control following Roberts jumper with 39.5 seconds to play, to secure the win. Georgia State knocked down all six free throw attempts in the final 23 seconds, with Southern's only points coming from a Juozapaitis 3-pointer with four seconds to play.

Game Highlights
• Georgia State has won 10 of the last 12 home games with the Eagles dating back to 1992.
• The Panthers and Eagles were meeting for 62nd time, the second-most times GSU has faced another opponent.
• Georgia State outrebounded Georgia Southern 43-31, the Panthers' best rebounding margin in a Sun Belt Conference game this season.
• The Panthers 11 turnovers also matched a conference-game season low this year.
• Georgia State snapped a three-game losing streak. The Panthers have still not lost four in a row since the 2015-16 season.
• Since returning to the Sun Belt Conference for the 2013-14 season, GSU has won more games (162) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.

Georgia State will now head south to Statesboro to face in-state rival Georgia Southern on Saturday at 3 p.m., in Hanner Fieldhouse live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#21 Kalik Brooks: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#1 Eliel Nsoseme: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior

#2 Justin Roberts: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#25 Jalen Thomas: F; 6' 10"; Sophomore

#12 Kane Williams: G; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#21 Kalik Brooks
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Eliel Nsoseme
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#2 Justin Roberts
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#25 Jalen Thomas
: 6' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#12 Kane Williams
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G