ATLANTA, GA -- Freshman point guard Crystal Henderson contributed 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals to lead Georgia State to a 62-52 win over Kennesaw State Tuesday at the GSU Convocation Center as the Panthers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2018-19.

"I felt like everyone locked in [tonight], and I'm really proud of the team," head coach Gene Hill said. "We talked about our goals, and we knew we had to get to 3-0, so I'm really proud.", 

The Panthers (3-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Mya Williams with 16 points. Henderson, the rookie from Woodstock and Kell HIgh School, tacked on 15 points, and Mikyla Tolivert chipped in as well with 12 points and four assists.

Georgia State forced 15 Kennesaw State turnovers and turned those takeaways into 23 points on the offensive end of the floor.

How It Happened

After falling behind 7-4, Georgia State went on a 7-0 run with 5:46 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Kamryn Dziak, to take an 11-7 lead. The Panthers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 14-13 advantage. Georgia State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring eight of its 14 points close to the basket.

Kennesaw State rallied to take a 24-22 lead before Georgia State went on a 9-0 run starting at the 6:26 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Williams, to take a 31-24 lead. The Panthers kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 35-28 advantage heading into halftime. Georgia State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 21 points.

Georgia State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Henderson, to expand its lead further to 44-30 with 5:33 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Owls had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Panthers still entered the fourth quarter with a 48-43 edge. Georgia State played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 13 points in the paint.

Georgia State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 56-46 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Christeina Bryan's jumper, to grow the lead to 61-46 with 3:43 to go in the contest. The Owls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Panthers still cruised the rest of the way for the 62-52 win. Georgia State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 14 points.

Game Notes

» The Panthers held the Owls to only 35.7 percent shooting from the field.
» Georgia State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Georgia State had a 36-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Georgia State defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Mya Williams led the Panthers with 16 points.
» Georgia State got a game-high nine rebounds from Alyssa Phillip.

The Panthers look to extend their win streak against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 22 inside the Convocation Center.