TROY, AL -- Mya Williams' 3-point buzzer beater in overtime gave Georgia State a 90-89 win at Troy in the Sun Belt Conference opener.
Mikyla Tolivert led Georgia State as she notched a double-double with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. Tolivert also set a single-game career-high five 3-pointers, including the tying 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation.
Crystal Henderson tacked on a career-high 24 points, seven assists and two steals, and Williams helped out with 10 points.
Trailing 89-87 in overtime, Georgia State started its final possession with 0:41 seconds left in overtime. Tolivert was tied up with 0:12 seconds left but the possession arrow was in the Panthers' favor. Henderson inbounded from under the basket and found Williams at the top, and she banked in the winning shot.
Trailing by three with 0:11 seconds left in regulation, Henderson took advantage of an offensive rebound and swung it to Tolivert at the top to tie the game at 80.
Georgia State shared the ball well in Sunday's game, racking up 19 assists on 33 made field goals. Henderson's seven assists led the Panthers.
Georgia State's defense held Troy to only 36.4 percent shooting from the field, including 25.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Panthers also limited Makayia Hallmon to 5-of-20 shooting in the game. GSU also tallied 52 rebounds, led by Alyssa Phillip with 12.
How It Happened
After falling behind 14-12, Georgia State went on a 5-0 run with 5:16 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Tolivert, to take a 17-14 lead. The Panthers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 25-21.
Troy kept adding to that lead, building a 40-34 advantage before Georgia State went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Tolivert, to narrow its deficit to 40-39. Troy responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Panthers trailing 42-39 heading into halftime.
Troy continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 57-48 advantage before Georgia State went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Kaleigh Addie, to trim its deficit to 57-56 with 2:24 to go in the third. The Panthers kept the rally going and took control on a Henderson layup with 00:02 left for a 68-63 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Georgia State played well near the basket, scoring 20 of its 29 points in the paint.
Georgia State then surrendered that advantage as Troy forced overtime by tying things up at 80-80 by the end of the fourth. Georgia State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 12 points in the paint.
Georgia State took care of business in extra time, outscoring Troy 10-9 to seize victory by the 90-89 final score.
Game Notes
» Williams sunk a buzzer beater as time expired.
» The Panthers snapped a seven-game losing streak to Troy
>> Mikyla Tolivert notched an impressive double-double for the Panthers with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. She also sunk a career-high five 3-pointers.
» The Panthers shot well from three-point range, knocking down 12 of 28 long-range attempts.
» The Panthers held the Trojans to only 36.4 percent shooting from the field.
» Georgia State tallied 19 total assists in the game.
» The Georgia State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 17 offensive boards in the game.
» Mikyla Tolivert led the Panthers with 27 points and Crystal Henderson added 24.
» Alyssa Phillip grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Georgia State and Mikyla Tolivert contributed 10.
The Panthers return to the Convocation Center to extend conference play against ULM on Jan. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
