ATLANTA -- Lucas Taylor scored 26 points, including the clinching shot with 10 seconds left, and Dwon Odom recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists to lead Georgia State to an 82-79 win over Marshall in the regular-season finale Friday at the GSU Convocation Center.
With the win, Georgia State earned the No. 7 seed in next week's Hercules Tire Sun Belt Conference Championship and will face Marshall, the No. 10 seed, again next Thursday, March 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Center.Â
Taylor went 10-for-16 from the field, including three 3-pointers, but it was his final field goal that sealed the win for the Panthers (14-16, 8-10 Sun Belt). With Georgia State clinging to an 80-79 lead and the shot clock ticking down, Taylor drove the baseline and as he crossed under the basket, he flung up a shot that went in as he fell to the floor, giving the Panthers a 3-point lead with 10 seconds left. Marshall's final 3-point attempt was off the mark to give GSU the victory.
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"That's a great team win," head coach
Jonas Hayes said. "We were poised enough down the stretch to pull out the win. The guys in my locker room, who I love and believe in, brought enough maturity tonight to kick down that door and get a win.
"There was no lead I was comfortable with until the clock said zero," Hayes continued. "They're a team that can come at you in different ways and they run good action. But our guys came up with a stop that we really needed. I tell them all the time, It's okay to bend, but you just cannot break. I'm proud of our guys."
Georgia State had four players score in double figures on Senior Night in Taylor, Odom,
Toneari Lane (16 points) and
Leslie Nkereuwem (13 points).
Jay'Den Turner pulled down nine rebounds, and Odom added seven to go along with his 13 points and 10 assists.
How It Happened
Lucas Taylor opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers as Georgia State began with an 8-0 run to take an early lead. The Panthers built a 39-29 advantage on a Taylor bucket with 4:25 left in the half before Marshall responded with a 10-0 run to tie the game at 39-all. Then Taylor hit his third trey of the half to regain the lead, and GSU entered the locker room with a 46-42 lead.
Marshall scored the first five points of the second half to briefly take a one-point lead, but the Panthers immediately regained the lead on basket by
Dwon Odom and never trailed again.Â
Georgia State built a 67-57 lead with 12:46 to play before Marshall chipped away and pulled within 69-68 with eight minutes left. The Panthers kept the Herd at bay until Kevon Voyles, who led Marshall with 23 points, hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game bring Marshall within 80-79 with 35 seconds left. That's when Taylor sealed the game with his improbable bucket.Â
Game Notes
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Dwon Odom notched a double-double for the Panthers with 13 points and 10 assists and also had seven rebounds.
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Lucas Taylor scored 26 points for his sixth 20-point game of the season.
» The Panthers shot 55.7 percent for the game, including seven of 17 long range attempts (41 percent).
» Georgia State had a 36-35 edge on the boards in the win, but Marshall grabbed 14 offensive rebounds
» Georgia State got a team-high nine rebounds from
Jay'Den Turner.
