HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Jelani Hamilton and Micah Tucker combined to score 48 points, but the Georgia State Men's basketball ultimately fell 81-79 in overtime at James Madison on Thursday night. 

Hamilton totaled 28 points and seven rebounds, followed by Tucker with 20 points, five assists and two steals.  Malachi Brown added nine points.

The Georgia State men's basketball team went into halftime trailing James Madison 41-33 and fought back from the deficit to tie the game at 70-70 and force overtime, but fell in a two-point heart breaker.

The Georgia State offense was impressive from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 threes on 23 attempts. Hamilton hit four treys for the Panthers in the contest.

The Georgia State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Thursday's game, forcing 15 James Madison turnovers while committing 11. Those takeaways turned into 15 points on the other end of the floor. Ayouba Berthe led the way individually for the Panthers with two steals.

How It Happened

After falling behind 8-5, Georgia State went on a 6-0 run with 16:54 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Tucker, to take an 11-8 lead. The Panthers then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 41-33.

James Madison kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 56-45 advantage before Georgia State went on a 13-0 run to seize a 58-56 lead with 8:51 to go in the contest. The Dukes then fought back to even things up at 70-70 and send the game to overtime. Georgia State capitalized on seven James Madison turnovers in the period, collecting 11 points off those turnovers.

James Madison then edged ahead in overtime, leaving Georgia State behind 81-79 at the final buzzer.

Game Notes

» The Panthers shot well from three point range, knocking down 10 of 23 long range attempts.
» Georgia State rallied from an eight-point 41-33 halftime deficit to force overtime before ultimately coming up short.
» Jelani Hamilton and Micah Tucker carried the load for the Panthers, accounting for 61 percent their points.
» The Georgia State defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Jelani Hamilton had a game-high 28 points and Micah Tucker added 20.
» Georgia State got a team-high seven rebounds from Jelani Hamilton.
 

The Panthers finish road games on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET before returning home for a four-game homestead to close out the season.