CONWAY, SC --The Georgia State women's basketball team got a 25-point performance from the bench, but fell 74-62 to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on the road Friday.

Mikyla Tolivert led the Panthers (15-14, 9-9) with 16 points and two steals. Crystal Henderson tacked on six points, seven assists and three steals and Alyssa Phillip chipped in as well with six points and six rebounds.

Led by Deasia Merrill's three offensive rebounds, Georgia State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in 16 second chance points.

The Georgia State defense was a problem in Friday's game, forcing 17 Coastal Carolina turnovers while committing 13. Those takeaways turned into 13 points on the other end of the floor. Henderson's three steals led the way individually for the Panthers.

How It Happened

Georgia State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 28-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Georgia State then started off the second quarter by going on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Tolivert, to narrow its deficit to 28-17. The Panthers continued to chip away, reducing the Coastal Carolina lead to 33-27 heading into the break.

Following halftime, Georgia State kept the Chanticleers from growing their lead before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Mya Williams, to trim its deficit to 35-34 with 8:18 to go in the third. Coastal Carolina countered and stretched its lead to 51-49 heading into the fourth. Georgia State played well near the basket, scoring 16 of its 22 points in the paint.

Georgia State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 74-62. Georgia State took advantage of three Coastal Carolina turnovers in the quarter, scoring four points off of those takeaways.

Game Notes
» The Georgia State bench made an impact by adding 25 points to its scoring output.
» The Georgia State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Mikyla Tolivert led the Panthers with 16 points.
» Georgia State got a team-high eight rebounds from Deasia Merrill.

The Panthers head to the Sun Belt championship tournament March 5-11.