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Daniel Wilson Photography
71
UNCW UNCW 4-8
86
Winner Georgia State GSU 8-4
UNCW UNCW
4-8
71
Final
86
Georgia State GSU
8-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCW UNCW 33 38 71
Georgia State GSU 51 35 86

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Panthers Deal Seahawks Road Setback

ATLANTA, Georgia – Senior guard Devin Mitchell poured in 17 of his game-high 23 points in the first half and Georgia State placed all five starters in double figures to trim UNCW, 86-71, in a matchup of former Colonial Athletic Association rivals on Wednesday night at the GSU Sports Arena.
 
The Panthers, the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference, raised their record to 8-4 and improved to 4-0 on their home floor. The Seahawks dropped their fourth straight game and fell to 4-8 this season.
 
Mitchell, who went 8-for-14 from the floor and 6-for-10 behind the arc, topped the scoring for Georgia State's veteran team. Junior guard D'Marcus Simonds and senior forward Jeff Thomas added 14 points apiece, sophomore guard Kane Williams chipped in 13 and senior forward Malik Benlevi finished with 11.
 
Junior guard Jaylen Fornes paced three Seahawks in double figures with a season-high 20 points. Redshirt junior forward Jeantal Cylla collected 18 points and a team-high six rebounds and freshman guard Jaylen Sims contributed 12 points off the bench.
 
The Panthers, members of the CAA from 2006-13, shot 58.1 percent in the first half to build a 51-33 advantage at intermission, but were outscored by the Seahawks, 38-35, in the final period.
 
Georgia State used an 11-3 run early in the second half to mount its largest lead of the game, 70-45, with just under 10 minutes left before the Seahawks caught fire and stormed back.
 
Sparked by Fornes, UNCW scored 13 consecutive points to pull within, 70-58, and narrowed the deficit to 11 points, 75-64, on a three-pointer by Cylla along the left wing at the 5:55 mark.
 
But Benlevi responded with a three-ball on the other end of the floor and Thomas followed with another trifecta to push the margin back to 81-64 with just over five minutes remaining. The Panthers then closed out their third victory in the last four games.
 
Mitchell poured in 17 points in the first half as Georgia State fashioned a 20-4 run midway through the period to open up a 51-33 margin at intermission.
 
The Panthers held a 10-7 edge with 15:34 left in the first half until Fornes drained a triple on the left wing to pull the game even at 10-all with 15:09 on the clock.
 
However, GSU reeled off 15 unanswered points in the front end of the 20-4 spurt to break the game open. UNCW could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the first half. Mitchell's three-pointer at the buzzer banked in as the first half drew to a close and the Panthers matched their largest lead of the half.
 
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS: After committing 16 turnovers in an error-filled first half, the Seahawks settled down and had just six miscues in the final 20 minutes.
 
KEY MOMENT: The Seahawks reeled off 13 straight points over a 2:07 stretch late in the second half before Mitchell sank a long three-pointer with 6:12 on the clock to stall the rally.
 
FRESHMAN SIGHTING: Newcomer Jaylen Sims had his best as a Seahawk, scoring a career-high 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting and grabbing three rebounds in 16 minutes.
 
QUOTABLE: "We knew Georgia State was going to shoot three's…we just wanted to contest them. We've been facing teams lately where three's have been the focal point of their offense. We played hard every possession of the second half." - UNCW Head Coach C.B. McGrath
 
NEXT UP: UNCW concludes a string of five consecutive road games on Friday, Dec. 21, with a 7 p.m. test at Mercer in Macon, Ga. UNCW's next home appearance is Saturday, Dec. 29, when the College of Charleston visits Trask Coliseum for the CAA opener.


 
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