ATLANTA -- Zarique Nutter scored 22 points and Cesare Edwards added 20 to lead Georgia State over the Georgia Southern Eagles 82-78 at home Wednesday.

"I want to give Georgia Southern a ton of credit," head coach Joans Hayes said. "Coach Henry is doing a great job down there. We knew it was going to be a fight, especially in a rivalry like this. Anything goes, and i'm just proud of our guys for showing up. It wasn't a perfect game, but I thought our guys stayed together through adversity."

The Panthers (6-10, 2-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Nutter, who had 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Edwards tacked on a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Toneari Lane chipped in with 18 points and two steals.

Nick McMullen pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace the Georgia State offense which grabbed 14 boards and turned them into 16 second chance points.

Georgia State did a great job disrupting Georgia Southern shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Nutter's two rejections led the way individually for the Panthers.

How It Happened

After falling behind 30-24, Georgia State went on a 5-0 run with 4:26 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Nutter, to narrow its deficit to 30-29. The Panthers continued to narrow the gap and tied the game at 38-38 heading into halftime with a half-court shot from Nutter. Georgia State took advantage of eight Georgia Southern turnovers in the period, and scoring 13 points of those turnovers.

Georgia State took care of business in the paint, recording 16 of its 31 points in the lane. After a neck-in-neck contest, Georgia Southern notched a two-pointer to send the game into overtime. 

In overtime, Georgia State outscored Georgia Southern 13-9 to seize victory by the 82-78 final score, highlighted by a blocked shot by Edwards to solidify the contest.
 

Game Notes

» Cesare Edwards notched an impressive double-double for the Panthers with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
» The Panthers held the Eagles to only 38.8 percent shooting from the field.
» The Georgia State bench came alive by adding 31 points to its scoring output.
» Georgia State had a 48-44 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Panthers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Georgia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Zarique Nutter had a game-high 22 points and Cesare Edwards added 20.
» Georgia State got a team-high 11 rebounds from Cesare Edwards.

Georgia State looks to build momentum as it hosts Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 4:00 p.m.