ATLANTA, GA -- Veteran guard Mikyla Tolivert hit her thousandth career point in the Panthers' 68-64 win over Western Carolina on Tuesday evening.
"Mikyla is the perfect example of what a student-athlete should look like," head coach Gene Hill said, commenting on Tolivert's 100-point career. "She came in as a freshman, highly recruited, but didn't play as much as she probably should wanted to [in her] her freshman year. But she stayed with it and she continued to work to get better every year. She's continued to add to her dimension every year. When you talk about what a student-athlete looks like, i think she models that on and off the court."
The Georgia State women's basketball team hit 6-of-14 attempts from 3-point range, shooting 42.9 percent from deep in a 68-64 victory against the Western Carolina Catamounts at home Tuesday.
The Panthers (3-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Kaleigh Addie, who had 15 points. Mikyla Tolivert added 15 points, four assists and four steals and Mahogany Matthews helped out with 11 points and two blocks.
Georgia State forced 15 Western Carolina turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Tuesday's game. The Panthers turned those takeaways into 11 points on the offensive end of the floor. Tolivert's four steals led the way for Georgia State.
" A win is a win," Hill said. "I felt like we came out very composed and with a lot of energy in the first half. I feel like we let up a little in the second half, and didn't do everything that we needed to do, but at the end of the day we came out with the win."
How It Happened
After falling behind 3-2, Georgia State went on an 11-0 run with 6:35 left in the first quarter to take a 13-3 lead. The Panthers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 17-10 advantage. Georgia State capitalized on six Western Carolina turnovers in the period, turning them into five points on the other end of the floor.
Georgia State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 13-0 run starting at the 7:47 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Tolivert, to increase its lead to 32-12. The Catamounts cut into that lead, but the Panthers still enjoyed a 36-26 advantage heading into halftime. Georgia State dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 19 points close to the basket.
After intermission, Georgia State held on to its advantage and owned a 49-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Georgia State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 13 points in the paint.
Western Carolina proceeded to take a 54-52 lead before Georgia State went on an 8-0 run to seize a 60-54 lead with 4:40 to go in the contest. The Catamounts narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Panthers still held on for the 68-64 win. Georgia State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 19 points.
Game Notes
» The Panthers shot well from three point range, knocking down six of 14 long range attempts.
» The Georgia State defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Kaleigh Addie and Mikyla Tolivert led the Panthers with a game-high 15 points each.
» Georgia State got a team-high seven rebounds from Monna Julkunen.
The Panthers are back at home to host the GSU Thanksgiving Tournament starting on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
