ATLANTA, GA -- Junior transfer Mya Williams posted 14 points to lead the Georgia State women's basketball team to a 78-41 home opening win over Berry College on Monday evening. 

The Panthers (1-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Mya Williams, who had 14 points. Kaleigh Addie tacked on 12 points and four steals off of the bench and Kamryn Dziak chipped in as well with 12 points.

Georgia State took advantage of excellent ball movement in Monday's game, piling up 20 assists on 28 made field goals. Crystal Henderson's five assists led the distribution list for the Panthers and Erin Turral also added four assists of her own.

Georgia State's defense held Berry to only 28.6 percent shooting from the field, including 26.3 percent from beyond the arc.

How It Happened

Georgia State started off strong, putting together a 14-13 lead heading into the second quarter. Georgia State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 14 points.

The Panthers could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 30-27.

Georgia State came out of halftime rallying and had constructed a 39-33 lead before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Aniya Palmer, to expand its lead further to 46-33 with 41 seconds to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Vikings had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Panthers still entered the fourth quarter with a 46-36 edge. Georgia State took advantage of 12 Berry turnovers in the quarter, scoring 12 points off of takeaways.

"I want to commend these ladies for the second half coming out of the locker room," Head Coach Gene Hill said. "They came out with a different focus, we made some adjustments, and they executed."

Georgia State started tacking on points in the fourth almost immediately, going on a 12-0 run, finished off by Turral's three, to grow the lead to 58-36 with 7:03 to go in the contest. The Panthers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 78-41 win. Georgia State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 32 points in the paint.

Game Notes

» Georgia State lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Panthers held the Vikings to only 28.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The Panthers shared the ball well, recording an assist on 71 percent of made baskets.
» The Georgia State bench came alive by adding 39 points to its scoring output.
» The Panthers turned 34 turnovers into 37 points on the offensive end.
» The Panthers forced 34 Berry turnovers while committing only 19 on the other end.
» Georgia State had a 47-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Georgia State defense forced 34 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 21 offensive boards in the game.
» Mya Williams led the Panthers with a game-high 14 points.
» Georgia State got a career-high 13 rebounds from Alyssa Phillip.